National Communications Authority

The National Communication Authority (NCA) was established by the National Communications Act 1996 Act 524, now repealed by the National Communications Authority Act of 2008, Act 769 to regulate communications by wire, cable, radio, television, satellite and similar means of technology for the orderly development and operation of efficient communications services in Ghana. What We Do * Grant licenses and authorisations for operation of communication systems and services - NCA assigns, allocates and regulates the use of frequencies in conformity and development strategies for the communications industry. NCA is responsible for managing civilian access to radio spectrum. Our work involves releasing spectrum for new uses, as well as developing policies such as spectrum trading and spectrum pricing to ensure that spectrum is used efficiently. We also monitor the airwaves 24 hours a day to identify cases of interference, and take action against illegal broadcasters and users of unauthorised wireless devices. * Ensure fair competition among licensees - The core responsibility of NCA is to promote and ensure fair competition in the telecommunications industry. These include implementing policy on competition within the remit of the Authority. NCA promotes fair competition and protects communications services providers from misuse of market power or anti-competitive and unfair practices by other service providers. The Authority is also vested with concurrent powers to deal with anti-competitive behavior in broadcasting, use of spectrum and telecommunications. * Establish and monitor quality of service indicators for operators and service providers - The Authority continuously strives to ensure that consumers get good quality from any telecommunications services, be it voice or data. The Authority routinely conducts network end-to-end quality of service monitoring exercises throughout the nation. This exercise is done once every quarter in all Metropolis in Ghana and twice a year in all the Municipal and Districts in the country. The result of qualities of service surveys are used for compliance and enforcement purposes, thereby ensuring that consumers are provided with excellent service throughout Ghana. * Educate and Protect Consumers - The Authority ensures consumers are protected by providing safeguard mechanisms for seeking redress on telecom issues. Acting as a neutral arbitrator, NCA examines and resolves complaints and disputes between subscribers, licensed operators or any other person involved in the communications industry. * Authorise Type Approval and and Enforce Equipment Standards - Equipment standards and type approvals are administrative but technical requirement for vendors, manufactures, dealers and network service providers to proof that their communications equipment that are sold, used and meant to be connected to the public networks have met the required national and international standards. It is aimed at ensuring that communication equipment that come and are used in the country has met the required standard, safe, secured and does not cause any interference to public networks ,a basic requirement to ensure end to end network quality of service delivery. * Coordinate International Frequency - To ensure good quality of service for consumers, the Authority constantly engages in international frequency coordination with our neighboring countries particularly Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire and Togo. This is to ensure that telecommunications services and broadcasting services provided in our country are not interfered with by other transmitting signals from these countries.