By Francis H. Murray
Subscribers of three of the mobile operators in Sierra Leone have expressed disappointment over the withdrawal of promotional services, which have been blamed on new regulations by the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM).
Customers of Africell, Orange and Q Cell say the reaction of the mobile network providers to NATCOM’s move has had a direct impact on their social wellbeing, especially during the prevailing unfavorable economic situation.
NATCOM, in a joint press statement with the National Revenue Authority (NRA) issued last week, announced the introduction of the measures it said were in line with the finance laws of the country.
Officials of the Commission have also been quoted saying that the move was necessary because not only is it geared towards stabilizing the tariff system in the country, it is also in the interest of fair and competitive trade.
Orange Sierra Leone, one of the leading operators, has removed its popular “Kola” and the weekly ‘‘Yo’’ promotional services. Kola was popular among subscribers who do routine calls to friends and family members at a rate of Le 5,000 for 24 hours. With the Yo, a subscriber could pay just Le 5,000 and talk for 60 minutes, with a validation period of one week.
Orange’s archrival, Africell, was popular among its subscribers for its Sunday Wuteh-Teh promotion. With Le4,000, subscribers could make onet calls for 24 hours. Africell also had ‘Ya Mix’, for which with about Le5,000 subscribers could make onet calls for 60 minutes within a period of one week.
Aside these offers, there are other promotional offers that were available to the customers that have been affected by the new regulations.
But despite the clamors from its subscribers, the Africell management doesn’t appear bothered by this development. Its Head of Media Relations, Jonh Konteh, said there had been no increase or decrease in the tariff, noting that the authorities were only trying to stabilize the tariff charges.
Isata Suma, a regular user of the Sunday Wuteh-Teh promotion, is disappointed. She said it was the only opportunity she had to have lengthy conversations with her long distance relatives in Samu, along the Sierra Leone-Guinea boarder in the northern part of the country.
“I really don’t know what brought the withdrawal about, but whatever caused it is very unfair on us the poor, because for people like me, that is the only time I get to discuss family issues with my relatives without leaving my kids to travel there. And knowing the rate at which these companies cut, I cannot afford a long talk time with my relative as I do with Le4,000 on Sunday,” she said. She suggested that Africell brings back the Sunday “free call” even if with a little increase in the charges.
But Conteh said the withdrawal of the Sunday Wuteh-Teh promotion was not deliberate, noting that it was in line with the directive from the telecoms regulator, which they had to abide by.
“We do not want to be cruel to our customers. Normally, no tax was levied on the promotional calls like the Sunday Wuteh-Teh, but the new regulations by NATCOM now requires tax on them and so we have no option but to withdraw them,” he said.
Conteh also confirmed to Politico that the Wednesday Mobile Money bonus had also been withdrawn by Africell.
Orange Sierra Leone also said they had no option but to comply with the new regulations. A spokesperson for the French owned company, Mabel Mason, said:
“NATCOM is the official regulatory body for all mobile service providers, so what we do as a company is just to comply,” she noted. She however refused to comment further on the withdrawal of their promotional services.
Aruna Jimmy, an Orange subscriber for the past 8 years, who is based in the Southern Province, considered the Kola offer as a “Kombra” initiative which catered for every class of the society.
‘‘I usually waited for every Sunday to make long calls with my family and relatives at a reasonable cost, which was very advantageous. But when I heard the news of its withdrawal, I was so disappointed to the extent that I called their office and was told that the service had been removed,” Jimmy told Politico, lamenting that the sudden change would have serious impact on many customers like him.
As the newest kid on the block, Q Cell is expected to be the most affected by this decision by NATCOM. This is because it relies on promotions like these to build up its customer base, in the face of an already tough competitive atmosphere.
A spokesman for Q Cell said they had not discussed the issue at management level yet and therefore couldn’t provide an official response.
There were reports last week that the Gambian owned operator was contemplating court action over the issue. But Edward Nelson Pratt, Senior Manager, Marketing at Q Cell Sierra Leone, only told Politico that court action would be their last resort.
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