Nigeria’s quality of telecom service one of the best globally – ALTON
Nigeria’s quality of telecom service is one of the best in the world, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said. The ALTON chairman Engr Gbenga Adebayo who said this in a statement yesterday also said despite the extremely high cost of providing services in Nigeria, the telecoms industry is the only […]
Nigeria’s quality of telecom service is one of the best in the world, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has said.
The ALTON chairman Engr Gbenga Adebayo who said this in a statement yesterday also said despite the extremely high cost of providing services in Nigeria, the telecoms industry is the only sector charges have been stable.
‘’In the first place, we make bold to state that the quality of telecoms services in Nigeria is amongst the best in comparable jurisdictions, despite the challenges our members face in their day-to-day operations. Secondly, it is remarkable that despite the extremely high cost of providing services in Nigeria, the telecoms industry is the only sector where charges have been stable (even falling)’’, Adebayo said in the statement.
He said our members daily do battle the State, Local Government agencies who aggressively harass them to pay both legitimate and illegitimate taxes and levies which runs to several million Naira in some cases, adding that despite this they still provide quality services to consumers.
He said: “They daily contend with high costs of diesel, frequent theft of equipment, etc. without increasing tariffs. It is on record that the cost of building one BTS site in Nigeria will build three similar structures in Ghana.
‘’Despite all of these, our subscribers pay far less tariffs per minute than they paid five years ago, and data charges have continued to fall over the years as we struggle to democratize access to life-changing telecoms services. Indeed, we challenge the Punch to name any other service that has resisted inflationary trends as telecoms service. Not even the price of pure water has been as stable as telecoms services. ALTON members and the industry regulator deserve commendation for this feat, not scurrilous condemnation.’’
He said though ALTON agrees that there are service quality and ethical concerns in some segments of the telecoms industry, he assured that its members are assiduously working with the regulator and other stakeholders to tackle these concerns in the best interests of our subscribers.