Follow Us on Google
By Chinenye Anuforo [email protected]
Subscribers of the four telecommunications companies, MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9Mobile networks, have expressed displeasure over the poor quality of service they have been experiencing in this festive period.
The disgruntled subscribers, who spoke to Daily Sun, complained of weak Internet connections, low Internet speed, dropped calls and weak signals, among others.
Major complaints from Airtel, 9Mobile and Glo subscribers were about regular disruption of Internet connectivity when browsing on their mobile devices or personal computers.
Narrating his experience specifically, Echezona Nwosu, a subscriber to one the networks, complained that he had been experiencing dropped calls and countless failed calls in the last two weeks. According to him, dropped calls and slow Internet connection have sunk further this season: “To make call and hear the other person at the other end has become an issue.”
He called on the NCC to take the issue of poor quality of service very seriously so that the telcos would find solutions to the problem.
Another subscriber, Ifeshola Odunayo, a businesswoman, also complained about dropped calls and connection failures. She lamented that her clients now find it difficult to reach her for business transactions, describing her experience as “really annoying.”
National president, Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS), Mr. Sina Bilesanmi, while speaking on the same issue, lamented that while subscriber figures have gone up, service quality has continued to be an issue. He said, “The quality has sunk further this festive season. Dropped calls, network congestion, call diversion and so many others have increased.”
He urged the operators to up their games, just as he appealed to the various approving agencies to give expedited approval to telcos to expand infrastructure across the country, “Particularly, we appeal to President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, to prevail upon the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to grant approval to telcos to build a more resilient network. We heard that, for almost a decade, successive administrations at the FCT have refused to grant approval to telcos to build infrastructure in Abuja.”
On his part, president of the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMs), Deolu Ogunbanjo, expressed concern that the poor quality may even continue to the New Year.
Ogunbanjo said making calls has become an issue lately, “as you can be trying for hours and not get through. If you decide to use WhatsApp, your data will deplete very fast and SMS will not be delivered as and when due. It means that doing anything important via your mobile has become a tall order. The operators should up their games.”
The NATCOMs boss, who called on the new NCC boss to look into the matter, said however, that the operators should not be blamed in its entirety.
According to him, operators need more money for upgrades and expansion, “as such, I will call on the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to pay up the N200 billion they owe telecoms firms for using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). The money (s) are deducted on the spot, so, why has it become so difficult for the banks to pay up until it accumulated to that level.”
He said the operators needed the money to upgrade, expand and tackle congestion on their networks.
Recall that, telecom regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave a directive by its Executive Vice Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, to service providers in the country to improve quality of service.
Maida, had during his meeting with sector’s stakeholders, including the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the leading telecoms firms in Lagos recently, to as a matter of urgency ensure telephony services are at their best.
He decried the situation where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set for the service providers by the NCC will show almost 100 per cent success rates on papers, “but Quality of Experience is zero.”
He stressed that quality of service in the telecommunications sector is non-negotiable as he called for industry collaboration to make this a reality
