<html><head><base href="x-msg://10228/"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Press Release<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></i></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Contact:
GISPA Secretary; Eric M.K Osiakwan (<a href="mailto:secretary@gispa.org.gh">secretary@gispa.org.gh</a>,
+233.302.258800 ext 7031)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:
Arial">NEW GISPA BOARD’S PLAN FOR 2011</span></u></b><span style="font-family:
Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial">The Ghana Internet Services Providers Association (GISPA) at
her 2010 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Accra, elected a new board to
take over the affairs of the association from the old board who lead the
industry into broadband economic significance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial">The new board led by Mr. Ernest Brown (BBH), President and
made up of Mr. Alexander Sulzberger (Ecoband), Mr. Stanley Tsekpo (Netplux),
Mr. Gregory Eid (TeledataICT) and Mr. Roger Baah (GCNet), members, has resolved
to focused their tenure on “Broadband Abundance – making broadband affordable and
accessible”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Mr. Brown in his
acceptance speech, thanked Mr. Richard Hlomador and the outgoing board for
leading the industry to make the nation aware of the need to place economic
significance on broadband. He committed to taking that agenda forward in the association
quest to realize; through the reduction of prices; making broadband abundant. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The new board has applied
itself to securing capacity for the Google Global Cache (GGC), which is at the
Ghana Internet eXchange (GIX located at the Kofi Annan Centre) to ensure that
it is up and running effectively. The GGC, which is a collaboration with Google
Inc, would ensure that all Google related traffic (like search) to be stored
locally on that server so that subsequent recipients would get it fast and cheaper.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Efforts are also underway
to ensure that GISPA members come together and collectively purchase
international wholesale capacity which would allow the unit cost to members be
cheaper, hence members would then in turn transfer such savings to the consumer.
This is to build up on efforts by the old board that lead to reduction in
broadband prices and or increase in capacity in some cases. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The board also plans to
effectively engage with the new leadership at the National Communications
Authority (NCA) who have being very receptive to ensure a level playing field
in the industry. A meeting has been held and a position paper submitted to that
effect. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">About GISPA<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">The Ghana Internet
Services Providers Association (GISPA, <a href="http://www.gispa.org.gh/"><span style="color:#0016E7">www.gispa.org.gh</span></a>) is a non-profit trade
corporation that represents the interest of Internet Services Providers (ISPs)
in Ghana. Our focus is to grow the Internet locally through lobbying for the
right policies, negotiating transparent and independent regulatory frameworks
and building networks to enhance easy, reliable and affordable communication to
the consumer.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-hyphenate:auto;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
15.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"> </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:
EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:15.0pt;
font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">GISPA is currently made up of
NCS, InternetGhana, AfricaOnline, IDN, BusyInternet, Netplux, K-Net, BroadBand
Home, Easy-Net (MTN), Ecoband, NetAfrique, Gateway Communications,
Discoverytel, Africanus, TeledataICT, ComsysGhana, iBurstAfrica, Internet
Solutions, UCOM, GCNet, Expresso Telecom and Zain.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div></div></div></body></html>