Two Non-governmental Organisations, namely the Africa Telecom Development Initiative (ATDI) and Africa Telecom Consumers Assembly (ATCA) have drummed support for the regulator’s planned sanctioning of mobile operators in the country by end of this November if they refuse to improve the quality of service on their networks.
ITRealms Online recalls that last weekend, telecom
regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had issued a directive
to the trio of Globacom, Airtel and MTN to enhance the quality of service on
their respective networks based on the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) on or
before the end of November, otherwise risk being sanctioned.
The proposed sanction by NCC include putting a stop on
adding new subscribers until further notice while defiant may pay N1m per new
subscriber.
The two NGO in a joint press statement made available to ITRealms
Online and signed by their secretaries, Messrs Ken Ugbechie and Alfred Katung,
both drummed support the regulator, the NCC.
The group also condemned what they described as “scant
regard for the sensitivities of telecom consumers in the country.”
Equally, the group expressed their dissatisfaction with the
quality of service being offered by the service providers in a country where
they have individually and collectively made the most profit on the African
market.
“The Nigerian market is by far the largest telecom market in
Africa and therefore ought to be treated with some degree of respect.
Unfortunately, some of these service providers have simply refused to accord
the millions of consumers in the country some respect. It is the people that
make the networks, we expect operators to realise this and do everything they
can to give the over 90 million telecom consumers real value for their money”,
ATDI said.
In lending support to NCC, the pan-African organisations
urged the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, not to relent in his
quest to bequeath to consumers a legacy of good quality of service.
They noted that while the service providers may be excused
for putting up a poor show in qualitative service delivery in the last decade
of the telecom revolution because of the overriding necessity to grow the
network, such excuse is no longer tenable.
Both organisations acknowledged that it made good economic
sense in allowing the networks to take proper footing before exerting pressure
on them, but warned that such magnanimity shown by the regulator should not be
interpreted as a form of weakness.
Remmy Nweke
ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
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