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TCRA warns cellphone providers over ’free’ services
2006-05-22 07:26:55
By Ludger Kasumuni
The Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and its Consumer Consultative Council have warned cellular phone providers not to cheat customers through media advertisements, lest legal action are taken against them.
The joint statement made available to The Guardian by the TCRA communication unit said the committee for monitoring the activities of the companies providing cellular phone services would take stern legal actions.
The heads of the two TCRA bodies, Ambassador Richard Mariki and Rajabu Yusufu, chairmen of the TCRA and TCRA Consumer Consultative Council, respectively have warned MIC-Tanzania Ltd, tiGo not to continue cheating customers that they had been offering free services during the night effective 11.00 p.m.
Ambassador Mariki said that technically tiGo through its frequent announcements that they had been offering free services during that period had been causing communication jams, because of low capacity of the service provider’s network.
His colleague, Yusuf, supported him saying the offering of free services was unbearable, and called for legal redress.
The two officials had raised this concern during the joint meeting held in Bagamoyo last week.
’’Operators who cheat customers that they offer free services, but don’t do so will face punishment,’’ Ambassador Mariki said.
He said there was a need for TCRA and the Consumer Consultative Council to take concrete action for protecting the interest of customers in the communication sector.
Under Article 22 of 2003 TCRA Act, the regulatory authority is obliged to co-operate with consumers in improving communication services at fair prices.
Already, Tanzania has 10 registered telecommunications companies, but only five are active including tiGO, Vodacom, Zantel, Celtel, and Tanzania Telecommunications Companies (TTCL).
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