GSM operators fault government for poor services

The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operators in the country have blamed negligence by the government as part of the problems in the sector.

The stance followed the threat by the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, to GSM operators to stop the sale of new Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.

The minister had said in Lagos on Monday that the telecoms firms might be temporarily banned from selling new SIM cards in order to force greater investment in network quality, improve their services and halt the soaring customer number.

The operators, however, insisted that there were environmental problems militating against their businesses, which only the government could put an end to.

They also maintained that they were giving their best as far as service quality to customers was concerned and could not be pushed to do the impossible, given the peculiarities of the Nigerian market.

The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Corporate Service Division, MTN Nigeria, Mrs. Funmilayo Onajide, said no operator would deliberately set out to deliver poor quality services.

This, she added, was the reason why huge amount of efforts and resources were being deployed to improve service quality so that customers could receive the services they deserved.

'The environmental factors that impede consistent quality remain and they impact the telecommunications industry and, indeed, other businesses operating in Nigeria. These issues need to be addressed by the government for a conducive operating environment,' Onajide said.

The Communications Manager, Etisalat Nigeria, Miss. Chineze Amanfo, said in an official response, 'At Etisalat Nigeria, we take customer experience very seriously and have worked assiduously over the last 18 months to ensure that we not only meet but surpass set QoS measures.

'We realise that there are challenges that make this difficult in certain parts of the country where access or damage to telecoms facilities remain a challenge, but we are constantly investing in the network to improve overall experience for customers.' - Punch.