GSM Consumers Lament Poor Services

GSM consumers in Bauchi are now experiencing poor services following the series of attacks on GSM service providers’ installations in the nation’s North-East geo-political zone.

The Tide investigation revealed that most of the residents using the services of MTN, GLO, Airtel and Etisalat now bear the brunt of paying for not too good services.

Malam Balarabe Katagum told newsmen in Bauchi on Monday that his Glo line had not been giving good reception any longer since the blasting occurred.

‘’Take for example, this morning. I called somebody in Saudi Arabia with my Glo line, but it sounded as if it rang but when I just said ‘hello’ it again went off. On checking, my credit had been deducted.

‘’Again, when you call another network, it now takes longer time to connect. When you take this and the patience we have been enduring with these networks, it is serious. We can’t continue like this,’’ he said.

Katagun said that he was thinking of patronising another network to complement the Glo, adding that what he heard from other consumers of the other networks was also not encouraging.

The Tide reports that the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) had in September threatened to cut off services from the North if the attack on the infrastructure continued.

ALTON, which is the umbrella association for Glo, MTN, Airtel and Etisalat, had put the number of base stations attacked in the North at 26, including those in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe states.

Mr Moses Ishaya, another Bauchi resident, told The Tide that data connectivity had nose-dived to the lowest level, adding that some particular periods must be marked to access data from these networks.

‘’To get easy access to data services now, you have to either connect early in the morning up to 10 o’clock or you just have to forget it until its around five o’clock in the evening.

“As a banker, I also experienced these network outrage on the counter. This causes a lot of inconvenience to us and the customers. What ordinarily should take five minutes have to be done in an hour, ’’ he lamented.

Alhaji Mohammed Kawu, a Bauchi-based journalist, said that poor connectivity had led to getting of queries from his media organisation’s headquarters.

“The network had turned out to be so erratic that you cannot rely on any of them. Look, in order not to be queried, I had applied for three networks so that at least I can attach two on my laptop at once. If one fails, there is a back-up.

‘’The situation is terrible especially when you have an important story to send and you want to beat others to it, especially The Tide.’’

A banker, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen  that the branch was thinking of joining the national grid of Galaxy or any other one to maintain the internet banking facilities in the state.

‘’We are currently using one of these service providers which had been disappointing for sometimes now.

“I have recommended an alternative, considering the state government’s recent policy of e-payment, we may not be able to cope with these networks,’’ the banker said.