NCC To Sanction MTN, GLO And Airtel Over Poor Service

 For quite some time, the rumble of discontent about the nation’s telecom services has failed to convey to the operators the necessary sense of urgency about their lousy operations. Now they have to pay for the vices of treating their customers with prolonged contempt. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) recently came hard on three of the four major operators. Except for Etisalat, which was given a clean bill, MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd., Globacom Ltd and Airtel Network Ltd were fined N647.5 million for their demoralised services for the month of January 2014.

Besides, according to the NCC, if they failed to pay the sanctions before March 7, 2014, the fee would be upped to N2.5 million daily. The three operators were also barred from selling new SIM cards throughout March in addition to a ban on all their annoying promotions until the identified key performance indicators (KPIs) are addressed. We welcome the intervention of the NCC on this vexatious issue. It is indeed noteworthy that we have consistently, on this page, called on the network providers to address the widespread complaints. Unfortunately, they seem determined not to play by the rules. Now that the NCC is living up to its responsibility, the telecom operators do not deserve any sympathy.

As we stated recently, the rate at which the services of the nation’s major telecommunications operators had degenerated in recent times is unacceptable. This lamentable decline in quality of service came to the fore during the last yuletide season when it became so difficult to place calls both within and across networks, while short messages or texts took several days to be delivered. With dropped calls and non-completion of calls now standard practices by the telecom providers, the euphoria and relief that greeted the advent of the general system for mobile communications (GSM) a little over 11 years ago seem to be on the wane.

In their bid to go round the problem, many Nigerians resorted to carrying no fewer than three phone handsets for the different networks. Even with that expensive habit, there is indeed no end to the litany of woes which the subscriber goes through as there are periods when none of the networks would work. For those who use the internet, many have also resorted to subscribing to no fewer than three or four internet modems because a single service provider will certainly disappoint.

Due to the declining quality of service by the telecom providers, the NCC in 2012 sanctioned all the four service operators to the hefty sum of N1.2 billion, in addition to banning all manner of promotions. But if they paid the fine, their services deteriorated further with dubious promotional campaigns wooing subscribers to spend more money in return for very ludicrous prizes.

Even at that, there is abundant evidence that Nigeria remains a major growing market for telecom operators as the nation’s teledensity has continued to grow. Yet it would seem that the higher the teledensity, the worse off the subscribers become. The growth disguises a worrying deterioration.

But the telecom operators blamed this lamentable situation on a series of natural and man-made mishaps which dealt some serious blows to their infrastructure and equipment. The heavy floods of the last two years were said to have taken a toll on telecommunication facilities across the country. The attack on the facilities and equipment of some major operators by the Boko Haram group up north was also a drawback. But it is now difficult to reconcile the sustained poor services with these incidents.

That is why we commend the NCC for its present stance to arrest the slide. Those that cannot significantly improve their services should attract more sanctions, with an option that includes suspension of their operating licences. Whatever it will take to enforce compliance must be done to ensure that subscribers get value for their money.

Via:ThisDayNews