Parliament to quiz mobile phone operators

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Information and Communications, Hon. Yapo Condeh Conteh, has disclosed to this paper that all mobile phone companies operating in the country would be summoned to Parliament to answer questions relating to the poor performance of their networks.

He said his committee has received several complaints from mobile phone users across the country relating to the poor quality service the GSM companies are providing, noting that as an oversight committee in charge of communications they have decided to summon the regulatory body, the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM), and other service providers such as Airtel, Africell, Comium and Sierratel before Parliament to explain the reasons for the poor quality of their networks.

He made reference to the Telecommunications Act 2006 and the amemned Telecommunications Act 2009 which states in Section 37 Sub Section (1d) that ‘Every consumer entitled to a telecommunication service on payment of the prescribed tariff is entitled to a compensation incase service is denied or interrupted due to an act or omission of the service provided’.

Hon. David Soribah, a member of the committee pointed out that they will be engaging all mobile phone companies in a dialogue forum during what he referred to as a Consumer Parliament session in order to have a fair knowledge of the operations of these companies.

He maintained that the mobile companies are not performing to expectations and the consumers are crying foul, referring to their actions as cheating.