Addressing the plight of telecoms consumers

IN 2015, Nigerian telecoms consumers coughed out whopping sum of $5.6 billion, which was spent on telecommunications services alone. In 2016, it was topped up by another $1 billion; making it total of $6.6 billion.   After a long period of neglect and exploitation, the Nigerian telecoms consumers have got the required recognition from the telecommunications regulatory agency—the NCC. On March 15, 2017, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) historically declared 2017 as the year set aside to focus on the warfare of Nigerian subscribers. The essence of the declaration is to highlight the plight of the consumers, as regards poor quality of services, being rendered to them by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and proffer solutions to them. Unsolicited messages, illegal deductions from consumers’ credit, infuriating menace of robotic calls, poor quality of service, charges for unsolicited services like caller tunes, call drops, unfriendly internet data plan packages, and so on; have become excruciating pains cum challenges on the part of subscribers.

There is no doubt that some of the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have defaulted on their primary responsibilities, to provide qualitative telecommunications services to the Nigerian consumers. The poor network coverage has remained reoccurring decimal in the industry. Even when the NCC has provided Do-Not-Disturb (DND) code, to enable consumers control the menace of unsolicited messages, by sending it to 2442, it is yet to abate. Exorbitant charges for services not rendered, or requested has being a small piece of bone in the throat of telecoms consumers. A pathetic situation where Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) imposed unsolicited caller tunes on the consumers, and still deduct money from them, as fees for these tunes; leaves much to be desired. Inadequate telecoms infrastructure, especially in the rural areas has contributed immensely to poor network coverage.

Apart from making complaints via the NCC’s designated line of 622, telecoms consumers on the street want a system put in place by the NCC that automatically reverses unjustifiable deductions made on their airtime, without having to embark on bureaucratic voyage of reporting to the Consumer Affairs Bureau of the NCC, or Complaint Commission. The banking sector model, where Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) immediately reverses unpaid debt alert, should be emulated in the telecommunications sector, as part of regulatory measures put in place to protect the telecoms consumers. Realistically, how many telecoms consumers will start calling the NCC’s complaint line of 622 because their Network Operators short-changed them of N50, for unsolicited caller tunes? How many telecoms consumers will have the patience to keep dialling 622 anytime Network Operator cheats of them of N20? How many of the telecoms consumers are observant or literate enough to know when they have been exploited? What will a telecoms consumer do if at the end of the month, he has not been able to exhaust his one-month data plan due to poor quality of internet services, and the hosting Network Operator insists that he recharges his data plan before the remaining data will be roll over, or allowed to expire with the month? What stops the Network Service Providers from rolling over subscriptions to the next month, especially any period there is epileptic internet service? These are thought provoking questions racing through the minds of telecoms consumers.

There should be a system that automatically blocks unsolicited messages from reaching the consumer; without the subscriber sending codes to designated lines. The proposed electronic system should compensate telecoms consumers; let say with airtime, anytime N50 is deducted for un-requested caller tunes. The system should automatically roll over data subscription plan any month that a particular Network Operators falls below 60 per cent performance, as regards provision of internet services. Before Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are crucified, I will do justice to them by highlighting some of the bottlenecks that has made improved quality of service a herculean task in the polity. The age-longed electricity crisis in the country has been one of the impediments effecting not only Quality of Service (QoS) but cost of operations incurred by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Telecoms infrastructure vandalism is a major setback, not only in the quest to improve quality of service but in total network coverage cum broadband penetration.

The current Mobile Termination Rate (MTR) of N3.90k/minute is in variance with economic realities on ground—and it is unsustainable. A review has already become inevitable in the industry in other to keep the MNOs above water. Cost of importing modem telecom equipment vis-à-vis exchange rate, is strangulating MNOs. Is it Right of Way (RoW) holdup erected by the State Governments, which has stood in the way of fibre optics roll out? NCC’s Telecom Consumer project has provided a good platform for both MNOs and Telecom consumers to synergize in other to get better telecom services. One of the major achievements of this project is that it will afford telecom consumers necessary feedback medium needed to address various telecom related challenges.

• Chidiebere writes in from Abuja.