(1) Except as otherwise provided under this Act a person shall not operate a public electronic communications service or network or provide a voice telephony service without a licence granted by the Authority.

(2) A person who wishes to operate a network or provide a service described in subsection (1) shall apply to the Authority in the manner specified in Regulations made under this Act.

(3) The Authority may grant or refuse an application for a licence based on policies and rules published from time to time.

(4) The Authority shall cause a notice to be published in the Gazette and on its website on the receipt, grant or refusal of a licence.

(5) Where an application for a licence is refused, the Authority shall notify the applicant in writing of its decision and the reasons for the refusal within seven days of the refusal.

(6) The terms of a licence shall be made available to the public at the office of the Authority and on the website of the Authority and a member of the public may obtain a copy or an extract of the terms on payment of the prescribed fee.

(7) The Authority shall determine applications for licences in a non- discriminatory and transparent manner.

(8) A person who intends to operate submarine cables within this country to connect to a telecommunications network shall first obtain a licence, in addition to any other licence, approvals, or permits required under any other law.

(9) The Authority shall conduct public hearings in respect of applications for licences under this section when the applications are made in the first instance.

(10) The Authority may grant a class licence in place of an individual licence if it considers that appropriate.

(11) A diplomatic mission in Ghana may be granted permission to operate a radio communication system on application to the Authority through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if

(a) the Government of the diplomatic mission concerned provides reciprocal facilities to the Government of Ghana,

(b) the station is to

(i) be installed in accordance with this subsection, and

(ii) operate in accordance with the International Telecommunications Convention and the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunications Union, and

(c) the power output of the transmitter is not higher than necessary for transmitting to the state to which the diplomatic mission belongs and is in any case not more than five kilowatts.

(12) Despite any other provision of this Act, the Authority may require that a person operating a type of electronic communications network or providing a type of electronic communication service for which a licence is not required under this section must notify the Authority within fourteen days of commencing operations.