By Mohamed T Massaquoi
Breakdown in the network of the telecommunications company Airtel has hit businesses and led to losses of big projects in nongovernmental organizations, residents in the southern district of Pujehun say.
The subscribers say for three consecutive days, beginning from Sunday (14 June), they had a network blackout that prevented them from making mobile phone calls and using the internet service provided by the Indian GSM provider.
They complain that there has also been intermittent network cut on the following days, including Yesterday (June 29).
"For us working in the NGO world, this is a complete setback in our operations. We are directly dealing with international donors for whom sending reports is through the use of the internet facility. And majority of us are using their [Airtel] modem. This has made us lose so many projects," said Mohamed Gbato Kemokai, who works for the Action for Community Task Sierra Leone.
Sellers of Airtel phone cards (topups) in Pujehun have complained to Politico that the consistent network blackout has left them in conflicts with their customers, as the E-Voucher units bought never reached buyers.
According to Umaru Bashiru who sells units at LOB Telecentre in Pujehun Town, the network cut has left subscribers switching to Airtel’s biggest rival in the country, Africell.
“This has been driving customers away and some people we know to have been entirely using their service have now joined Africell as an alternative.”
"Presently I prefer selling Africell credits to Airtel based on the strong network of Africell."
Bashiru said the problem had disturbed sales for them.
Such problems with Airtel’s network are not new to Sierra Leoneans, and the most common is slow mobile internet service.
An employee of Airtel who spoke on conditions of anonymity blamed the breakdown on cut in supply of fuel to their power station in Pujehun due to the bad road between Bandajuma and Pujehun. The road is under construction.
But Kemokai dismissed that excuse.
“Why hasn’t Africell had such break, when they are all working in the same district?” he asked.
When contacted, the spokesperson for Airtel in Sierra Leone, Junrose Johnson, said she needed to get to their technical director, but attempts to reach the Airtel headquarters in Freetown later proved futile.
(C) Politico 30/06/15
