Transparency, fairness key in telecoms sectort

 

In Summary

With a total of 31 million subscriber identification module (Sim) cards currently in use here, this market cannot afford to operate obscurely. Transparency is about making it clear to both subscribers .....
and regulators the special services on offer and why as well as how long they will apply. That way, there will be mutual trust between the internal and external publics of mobile phone firms which basically have different interests.

The recent confusion arising from slightly higher mobile phone tariffs for accessing voice and data bundles point to a need for transparency and fairness in handling the telecommunication business.

With a total of 31 million subscriber identification module (Sim) cards currently in use here, this market cannot afford to operate obscurely. Transparency is about making it clear to both subscribers and regulators the special services on offer and why as well as how long they will apply. That way, there will be mutual trust between the internal and external publics of mobile phone firms which basically have different interests.

Mobile phone firms are here to make profit and customers want the right quality and quantity of services at affordable rates. Seemingly hoping that wishes will turn into horses, some customers want quality services at no cost at all. These conflicting interests can only be dealt with if we choose to subscribe to the principle of fairness and transparency.

In the same vein, Information and Communication Technology Deputy Minister January Makamba also should not have directed the communications regulatory authority to deal with abrupt changes in promotional offers for data bundles if the principles were to be taken seriously. Lack of fairness and transparency poses a serious challenge to the survival of companies that have made heavy investments in the country in the past few years. If, for example, this topic were to be taken up by a politician with an eye on a blast of publicity, the whole drama would take a new dimension. And the results would not be amusing to investors in that sector.

The fact that Tanzania has the cheapest communication rates in East Africa and also ranks among the cheapest on the continent would not have a leg to stand on and the truth would be distorted. With fairness and transparency, both businesses and their subscribers stand to win.