Some consumers, under the aegis of Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers (ATCIS), have called on telecommunications companies in the country to reduce tariffs for voice, data and other services.
The consumers said this had become imperative due to current challenges and disruption triggered by Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) as well as the need to ease information flow.
Speaking on their behalf, the National President of the ATCIS, Sina Bilesanmi, made the call in a statement in Lagos on Monday.
Bilesanmi urged telecom operators to be patriotic and not exploit the challenges caused by the global pandemic as an opportunity to make more money off their subscribers.
He explained that people and business organisations had now resorted to remote operations, as they now contend with movement restrictions.
Bilesanmi added that everyone had been left with voice calls, Short Message Service (SMS) and data services to keep up with daily business trends, social realities and information flow regarding COVID-19.
“With self-isolation and Federal Government’s lockdown to contain the spread of the virus, these measures will naturally lead to changes in consumers’ behaviours.
“These changes are reflected in the upsurge in the usage of collaborative tools to communicate, to do business and work from home as well as e-learning starting from primary, secondary to tertiary institutions.
“However, the situation at hand is a very delicate one and the only way we can have a breakthrough is by prioritising patriotism above personal gains and gratifications.
“Everyone is caught almost unprepared by COVID-19, forcing us to abandon our places of work to performing our duties at home,” Bilesanmi said.
He noted that no one would be able to work remotely, unless there is access to telecommunications services for voice and data.
Bilesanmi said that the period might appear as a good time for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to make more money as rate of spending on voice and data multiplies.
He, however, urged the operators not to see the period as an opportunity to increase profit margin.
“Our telecoms service providers, especially MTN, Glo, Airtel, 9Mobile and others, should see this time as an opportunity for them to further exhibit their value as responsible corporate citizens by slashing tariffs.
“At this point, people rely on data or telecoms services generally to obtain necessary information about the pandemic, especially regarding prevention tips and necessary steps to take in the event of suspected cases.
“Affordable access, undoubtedly, will connect the people to responders, including police, fire service, health workers, among others.
“We, therefore, call on the operators to support the fight against the deadly virus by cutting tariffs or create special bundles for subscribers to lessen the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 on individuals,” he said.
Bilesanmi also called for collaboration between the customers and telecoms operators, saying that if the virus must be defeated, access to telecoms services must not only be available but also affordable.