Recently GhanaCelebrities.Com editor Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri has been leading a ‘put them on blast’ effort to attempt to shame service providers in this country who revel in taking their consumers for a ride (basically all of them).
Large corporations are built on one bottom line, increasing profits; but whilst some do this by making their services so good that customers would keep coming back for more- more often than not in this country, the route is to fleece the customer for as long as you can, and they have to keep coming back because the alternatives are probably worse.
Our telecom companies are probably the biggest example of this depraved and immoral business model, which is built on the back of practically robbing the consumer. And aside their exorbitant rates, there are many other tactics and tricks to making money off of us. One is keeping mum when your bundle runs out and charging you at pay-as-you-go rates, another is making ad money by bombarding you with messages you never asked for. Some even charge you when you call them to complain about their crappy services.
So on top of all this, it’s damn near criminal that when through the miracle of technology, we get a new way to do something and not have to pay through the nose for it, these telecom operators scheme with the regulatory body to get rid of it.
MTN and Vodafone and their band of merry little telcos are apparently lobbying the National Communication Authority (NCA) to ban the use of internet apps like Skype, WhatsApp and Viber to make calls. Apparently, not getting to charge Ghanaians IDD rates due to technological advances is affecting their bottom line to the extent that they have to step in and get us back to the days where you cannot talk to your uncle in Philadelphia without checking the call time every five seconds.
Humans innovate because we want to make things better, but you cannot make things better at the expense of corporations’ bottom line, it seems. So these apps which are allowing people to have some respite have to be banned so that the fleecing can continue. It’s so laughably predictable in its revelation of corporate greed that it would be funny if we hadn’t heard that the NCA was considering solutions that would benefit ‘both the operator and the consumer’.
That’s an oxymoron. Those two are diametrically opposite, which means whatever benefits one automatically detriments the other, and vice versa. A compromise can be reached, but the relationship is so imbalanced that any deal that cuts 50-50 benefits the corporation anyway.
The NCA is looking for a solution for a problem that is not there. The internet is here, and it’s here to stay, so any move curbing its natural expansion is a stupid move to begin with. You want more people using the internet and its resultant benefits, not less; and curbing new media to benefit old media seems like the sort of short sighted mentality that has this country in a mess. If MTN and their cronies are so worried about losing the revolution, maybe they should employ more of their filthy profits towards innovating, to keep up. That’s how this wonderful thing we call technology works!
When the telcos came out with the Mobile Money technology, infringing on the territory of the banks, they didn’t seem to mind that innovation so much, even though it was hurting the bottom line of others. That’s how a free market works, you innovate or you die.
It’s amazing that this is even a conversation that has to be held, based on no motive other than robbing consumers. We have so many problems with the little we have, from crappy speeds to expensive bundles- it seems incredibly short sighted to limit its growth. The world is moving, fast, and new things are coming out each day. We need to latch on and enjoy as much as we can, not limit it at the expense of the many just for the benefit of the few at the top.
Unfortunately, the dynamics of the cash economy entails those with means usually get what they want, and it’s up to us to rail against that till the day we lose our voices.
Read the NCA statement on the telcos proposal for internet calls to be banned.
Accra, 5th May, 2016 – The National Communications Authority (NCA) has been made aware of the current public discussions on Over- the-Top (OTT) services and its impact on the revenue of the Telecoms industry. We fully appreciate of the interest by the stakeholders.
OTT Services
OTT Services include applications and services which are accessible over the internet and in some cases ride on operators’ networks numbering resources and internet access services. Examples of these are Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Twitter, Chat On, Snapchat, Instagram, Google Talk, Hike, Line, WeChat and Tango.
Impact of OTT Services on Telecom Industry
OTT providers make use of the Service Providers or Operators’ infrastructure to reach their customers and offer products/services that not only make money for them but also compete with the traditional services(voice, text and data) offered by the Service Providers or Operators. It is also generally accepted that the use of OTT services have contributed significantly to the growth of data service usage on networks.
Consumer Benefits
On the other hand consumers/ subscribers benefit directly by accessing these applications online from any place, at any time, using a variety of internet connections. OTT players offering communication services argue that such services (voice call, chat, messaging) are offered to users through the internet services provided by Licensed Telecom Operators and the Service Providers who levy applicable data usage charges to consumers.
Regulatory Implications
The Authority is concerned with the fact that most of these OTT players are generally not bound by regulations in many countries which orients market dynamics in their favour. OTT is among alternative calling procedure for which Ghana has not adopted as part of its licensed services.
OTT players are currently not under the purview of the telecom regulations in the country as they are not registered or recognized operating agencies under International Telecommunications Regulations. The lack of national regulations also poses a threat to security and safety because of the very nature of the communications sector. The challenges posed by OTT services from a national perspective warrants the need for the Authority to ensure proper regulatory balance and a level playing field in terms of regulatory compliance as well as the need to address the issues pertaining to security.
Way Forward
It is thus becoming clear that, in future, the provision of services by OTT players will impact revenues of network operators in so far as their current business models are concerned.
The NCA acknowledges that each of our stakeholders have specific concerns on this issue and as such is benchmarking with other countries. Whiles some have in a way regulated OTT services in extreme cases, other regulators have allowed its use and the Authority is keen to find out the benefits and disadvantages of this situation.
To conclude, the NCA is reviewing the situation and will in due course take decisions for an enabling regulatory environment that will benefit all stakeholders including both the operator and consumer. We urge the continued discussions and encourage feedback and comments on this issue to the NCA.