Speaking to friends and family over a mobile phone with an animated ‘cartoon voice’, or for men even a ‘shrill female voice’ is now possible in Ghana thanks to an MTN service called ‘Magic Voice’.

The service, which has been launched in Ghana over the last month, allows subscribers to opt in and out of the voices during calls.

In addition, calls are charged according to the caller's usual tariff plan and are not premium-rated.

To activate the service, MTN subscribers in Ghana can dial 518 to subscribe and choose their voice: the options are ‘Cartoon's Voice’, the ‘Husky King's Voice’ and the ‘Shrill Female Voice’.

Last month the MTN group said its subscriber numbers in Ghana reached 12.7 million in Q3 of 2013 from 11.2 million in the same period last year.

Ghana is one of the most competitive mobile markets in Africa with a mobile penetration rate of over 100%.