Telecoms Providers, Subscribers Lament Challenges

A cross section of tele
communications providers and customers across the country have bemoaned the challenges facing the industry in the country.
A cross section of the people made their views known in exclusive interviews with The Tide source in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt  and other parts of the country.
Most network providers complained of hostility of the environment as most of their facilities have either been vandalised or stolen by unknown persons, while some customer spoke of poor services and high tariff, among others.
A mobile phone user in Kuje, Nyanaya, Mpape, Karu, Asokoro areas of Abuja, complained of poor services rendered by the various networks, mostly at night.
An MTN subscriber, Mrs Shila Andrew,complained of getting unsubscribed messages for which the network provider had been deducting her money from her credit balance.
“Sometimes I am charged by the MTN for services I did not subscribe to; I also get unsolicited messages,’’ she said.
A businessman, Mr Chizota Nwanyanwa,complained that he had never been able to speak with any customer care agent of his network provider in spite of the several attempts to reach them.
Nwanyanwu said that sometimes, his credit for airtime would be deducted illegally for services he did not ask for.
A banker, Mrs Chinyere Ndokwa, described the unsolicited messages flooding her phone as ‘disturbing and irritating’.
Ndokwad described the frequent messages she received on her phone as an invasion of her privacy, as sometimes, the messages came at odd hours.
“Looking at the recurring challenges over the years, it seems to me that the mobile telephone service companies are not doing anything to address the complaints.
“The regulatory body should, therefore, put more effort so that we can all enjoy better services from the telecoms providers,” she said.
Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, the President, National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, said in Lagos that though operators claimed they included the ‘STOP’ option in messages sent, that option had not been functional.
According to Ogunbanjo, “when you send ‘stop’ to the short code, they still continue to send the unsolicited messages.
“It is getting too much; the messages are even increasing by the day. In fact, it is a way of cheating the subscribers because they continue to deduct money for such unsubscribed messages.’’
In Port-Harcourt, mobile phone users complained of poor service and high tariff charges.
Some of the subscribers told our reporter that the cost of recharge cards sold across Rivers State was higher than the official price fixed by network providers.
A subscriber of MTN and Glo, mobile phones, Mr Michael Dick, said poor network from the service providers had been a challenge to the public.
Dick, who is also a mobile phones dealer, said that the poor network of providers deprived him of free flow of communication with his customers.
“I bought a Glo line as an alternative to my MTN line; even then Glo has also failed to give me the service I wanted, although its services are better in some areas.
“Data plan of MTN for browsing would not allow me browse freely without wasting my airtime when subscribed, while Glo allows me to browse, its charges are very high compared to others,” he said.
A subscriber to GLO and Airtel, Mr JohnPaul Solo, who is also a cell phone dealer, said that some network providers ignored complaints from their customers.
According to him, each time he called the customer service desk, the desk officer would turned him down by saying that they will get back to him, which they don’t in the end.
In Jigawa, telecommunication operators and the GSM service providers blamed their dealers for differences in the cost of recharge cards.
The operators of MTN, Glo world and Etisalat, who spoke to NAN in Dutse, alleged that dealers deliberately increased prices of recharge cards to maximise profit.
The Dutse Manager of Glo world, Mr Sunday Akinwa, said the dealers’ action was affecting their businesses.
“We actually noticed that before now, dealers increased the prices beyond our approved market prices.
“We have taken steps to check this practice among the dealers and everything had been harmonised now.’’
Akinwa, however, identified poor weather conditions and insecurity due to insurgency as factors responsible for the epileptic and inefficient services being experienced by their customers in Jigawa.
He said that the rainstorm, which was often accompanied by heavy wind, usually disrupted services.in the area.
“Some of our facilities in Bauchi State which supply services to Jigawa were destroyed by terrorists recently,’’ he said.
The manager said that efforts were on to improve services provided by Glo, adding that their engineers were currently at various locations across the nation to rectify some identified problems.
Meanwhile, mobile operators in Yobe have blamed the insecurity and lack of electricity supply for the poor services experienced in some parts of the state.
Besides, an engineer with one of the service providers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the service providers lost some of their equipment to the activities of terrorists in the state.
“Masts and generators were razed down by the attackers. The other service providers have put their facilities back to use, but we still don’t have Glo service across the state because of the equipment that was destroyed.
“It is also important to note that the operators run their equipment on generators, using diesel; this also accounts for the high cost and breakdown in service because of wear and tear on the generators,” he said.
Investigation by The Tide source on the increase in the prices of recharge cards revealed that there are very few dealers who supply the cards.
Ali Isa, a recharge card vendor, explained: “We have to travel to Kano or Gombe to buy the cards and the conditions, including deposits to be made to the service operators, makes the whole process cumbersome and challenging.
“When the cards are supplied, some vendors add a little amount to cover the cost of transportation and other logistics because the gain on recharge cards is very minimal.’’
However, mobile phone users said they were forced to pay extra N20 on the recharge cards in spite of advertisements by service operators that the cost of recharge cards was fixed and stable.
On the customer care lines provided for complaints, some customers said they were not aware of the lines and had not been using them while others complained that “the operators keep one waiting for too long.”
A student, Fati Musa, said, “they will keep you waiting until you get tired and switch off so, why waste my time.’’
The survey, however, showed that operators in Gombe State are trying to surmount their challenges by devising measures to tackle them.
Some GSM service providers in Gombe said they had adopted new products by opening small offices to improve their service delivery and satisfy their customers.
A salesman at Globacom office in the state capital, Mr Austine Daniel, that the firm had increased the number of its sites to 15 in the state and was extending its coverage to other areas to improve services.
He said when completed, the network services would be extended to areas where coverage was hitherto difficult, adding that the quality of the services would consequently improve.

President Goodluck Jonathan(right), during the capturing of his biodata at the official launch of new e-passport in Abuja last Wednesday. With him is Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Abba Moro (2nd right). Photo: NAN