•Telecom masts
Telecom subscribers in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states have rued the recent increase in telecommunication tariffs by the federal government, noting that it was not commensurate with the services provided.
The subscribers interviewed in a survey on the impact of the tariff hike in the zone viewed the development as an “act of injustice” on the populace, reports NAN.
Recall that telecom operators had explained that without a tariff adjustment, sustaining quality service may become increasingly untenable.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved a 50 per cent increase in telecom service tariffs, which automatically impacts the cost of phone calls, SMS, and data bundles nationwide.
Chief Dominic Ibe, a businessman in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, said that the hike was one of the policies of the present administration that was “anti-people.”
“The people are still reeling from the pains of the fuel, electricity and other increments and do not deserve further infliction of pains.
“The fuel price increase led to the astronomical rise in goods and services and distorted economic activities.
“I advise the government to concentrate on reducing the pains borne by Nigerians and not inflicting more,” he said.
Bede Onyia, a Human Rights Activist, said that the federal government should have allowed the service providers address hitches experienced by subscribers instead of an increment.
“Subscribers experience low service provision, inconclusive calls, and high calls, among other service hitches and therefore need succour and not pains.
“Service provision is worse with the tariff increase and this made the situation more deplorable,” he said.
Monica Okafor, a staff with a service-providing firm, urged the public to absolve them of all blame but blame the federal government.
“We have battled to provide services to subscribers due to the hike and if we operate otherwise, will be out of business.
“We seek patience from subscribers and promise them improved services in the wake of the increase,” he said.
In Anambra, some telecommunication users have described the recent tariff hike by all the network providers in the country as a “burden,” which has forced most Nigerians to use data calls as alternatives to direct calls.
Speaking to our correspondent in separate interviews, some respondents described the recent tariff hike as a burden on poor masses, insisting that only the first class citizens are exempt from feeling the impact of the hike in tariff.
On how Nigerians are coping with the hike in tariff, Miss Favour Okereke, an online vendor, explained that she had been exploring various options to meet up with the high cost of data, Short Message Service (SMS) and call rate.
According to Okereke, I encourage most of my clients to embrace WhatsApp calls, to reduce the rate at which one purchases call cards.
“Before the increment, N100 call card could give you about nine minutes or even more, but you won’t get up to seven minutes of calls now with the current hike.
“You know that with the new digitalisation, the world revolves around data, one can easily say that data is life, I spend more on data than I purchase call card,” she said.
Mr Okey Chibueze, who deals on phone accessories and registers Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) for subscribers, while reacting on the development, noted that there were no specific alternatives as subscribers only switched from one network to another.
“Some subscribers come to register a new line to meet their demands, which they believed is cheaper for them; it could be for the purpose of call or data, this is the only alternative we have as a people.”
Another respondent, Mr Emmanuel Ifeanyi, said he had purchased another line with cheaper call and data rate because of the increase in tariff.
Ifeanyi explained that subscribers were facing an increased challenge of internet connectivity and calls not available or switched off even when the subscribers phones were not put off.
In Enugu State, subscribers have observed that hike in the telecommunications tariff by network providers had eaten deep in the society.
A former South East Regional Manager of a Telecom Firm, Mr Collins Otegbulu, told our correspondent that Nigerians were really feeling the impact of the hike in telecom tariff, which he considered outrageous.
He said that when they increased the price of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), many people resorted to the use of phone calls instead of traveling just to save cost.
Otegbulu explained that people were getting used to the increase in PMS because of alternative of phone calls.
He said that people were now finding it difficult to make calls the way they ought to because it would make them spend more on telecommunication.
“The painful part of the telecom tariff hike is that the service of these telecoms have worsened because they are only interested in hiking tariffs and not in improving their services.
“The irony of this tariff increase is that it affects both calls and data services,” Otegbulu said.
A renowned businessman and a consumer of all the networks, Mr Okwudili Ewu, attributed the frequencies of call drops to bad networks adding that telecom subscribers in Nigeria did not have value for their money which is very regrettable.
Ewu said that there was no alternative because all the telecom companies were charging the same thing.
Another consumer, who is also a civil servant, Mrs Janet Odo, said that coping with the hike in telecom tariff was just like coping with every other hike in electricity tariff and others.
“There is nothing one can do but cope with it or protest.There is not necessarily any reduction in time spent on calls and one makes calls as need for it arises; but what happens is that people now resort to making WhatsApp calls than regular calls.
“I have three lines, MTN, Airtel and Glo but MTN is far better than others. Glo and Airtel usually have glitches.
“Call drops usually occur in Glo and Airtel, the only alternative is WhatsApp call if one has data. For me I do not even recharge the other networks except MTN,” he said.
