Nigeria’s National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) issued a threat to the country’s mobile operators yesterday, saying that it is willing to boycott mobile operators such as MTN and Glo over compensation for poor service.
NATCOM’s President Deolu Ogunbanjo explained that the organisation is giving the telecommunications operators until 12 September to compensate their customers for poor service delivery, or they will have to face the consequences.
“If nothing happens by September 12, then on September 13, we will definitely ask for another switch-off, and do not forget that the September 19, 2003 switch-off will be 10 years, this month. And if that does not work, then we will definitely go to court to fight for compensation. It is no threat at all. In fact, we are preparing the papers,” he said.
Ogunbanjo revealed that NATCOMS issued a written request to the mobile operators through the Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), in which they demanded $30 in compensation per subscriber.
However, Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman of ALTON, revealed that the request “was badly intended”.
“It appears to us that the association that sent the letter is not aware of the fundamentals of the industry they came to represent. If they are aware, I wouldn’t expect them to keep issues in the background and then come on behalf of their members to claim compensation,” he added.
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor