By Umaru Fofana
Such is the way of the world these days that one wonders how we used to live our lives before the advent of the mobile phone - or for the sake of this piece, the internet.
My friend and colleague, Tanu Jalloh returned home over the weekend from an overseas trip and had no access to data. Even though he could put calls through he was restless and had to go scouting for data for his internet modem, especially so because the mobile phone operator had awful internet connectivity as is often the case in Sierra Leone.
By his own admission it was after securing data for his phone that Tanu could breathe normally. That typifies many of us. And add to that the thievery that has beset the telecoms business here and imagine how much of our income goes into data especially in a country where most people’s first experience with the internet is through a mobile phone device. Anyway…
These days we go to the loo romancing with our phones. We go to church or mosque with our phones handy. Fidgeting and chatting sometimes defeating the purpose of being in the house of worship. Not restrained even by the notices that urge us to not use our handsets. Unless of course for worshippers 60 years and older. But even some of the grannies and grandpas are trending: Ten chances to one we are on Whatsapp or Facebook or some other microblog sites more than we even sleep.
Such is our dependence on data that the telephone performs a minuscule of its original use or function it was initially created for. “Telephone” is a mid 19th century word derived from French: “télé” which means “distant” or “far”, and “phone” which means “voice”. But these days our phones are least used for voice or talking. They are mostly used as camera, for money transfer, social media, etc. The downsides are numerous but I will mention only one that has choked me recently: I have noticed that people instead of helping out when their neighbours’ house is on fire, they busy themselves taking photos of the inferno and posting them on social media. Gone are the days when we would fetch water and sand and help in our own little way put out a fire. But that is for another day…
Our dependence on our phones for non-voice use is fast becoming a fundamental human right, so much so that you wonder how internet use is such ripoff in the hands of service providers. They will give you the age-old explanation that government has refused to release the international gateway making it very expensive for them to operate hence they charge the amounts they do. It is unbelievable, for example, that a 3Gigabyte data costs around US $ 50 in Sierra Leone. This is daylight robbery! In many African countries I have been to I have been laughed at whenever I have mentioned the cost of internet data in Sierra Leone. Sometimes I do not know where to draw the line between the private sector and the public sector. This could in part be attributed to the fact that many senior government officials are involved in private businesses - directly or under a guise - thereby abusing their power with no consequence for wrongdoing, and engender conflict of interest which is a nonissue in Sierra Leone despite it being a corruption offence under the country’s laws. It is one of those tragedies our nation is currently grappling with. How sad!
Now, despite the huge amounts data costs, that is not all the grotesque behaviour by people who even the all powerful but terribly compromised National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) is either incapable of or unwilling to restrain (in the interest of the consumer). In the last few years I have grown grey hair because of the hassle of internet access to be able to meet the needs of my job. Add the words SLOW and ERRATIC and DECEIT to EXPENSIVE.
SIERRATEL and AFRICEL are my most favourite internet service providers. The latter is simply the best of all the mobile phone operators as far as data services are concerned. I have used all the mobile phone internet data services in Sierra Leone and I say that without hesitation. Ironically it is a lot cheaper as well because its data bundle costs less than Airtel’s, for example. Now the ripoff with AFRICEL is that whether or not you use up your data it expires at the end of one month. And your subscription doesn't have to be a monthly service bundle or plan. I own my data and I should be allowed to use it as and when I choose to. So the crap called FAIR USAGE should also apply to the consumer.
The SIERRATEL ADSL - over all - is the fastest internet connection I have used in the country. I mean that which is connected through a landline. Their CDMA or mifi I have had very terrible experiences with. The AFRICELL mifi is a lot better and faster hence user-friendlier. SIERRATEL’s ADSL bundle or plans range from silver, gold, platinum, connect all and connect all plus. Connect all plus, which is an unlimited month-long service, costs Le 1,220,000 (over $200). That is obscene! What is even more shocking is this: The costs of the other bundles or plans are based on the gigabyte. That notwithstanding, whether or not you use up your data you are disconnected at the end of one month. If that is not thievery tell me what is. I pay for a certain gig, and I get to be told to use it up within a month or I forfeit it, as if I paid for a monthly subscription. This is robbery that must not be allowed to continue.
Back to the so-called Fair Usage policy which means that you cannot hold on to your data without using it (up). This is the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard. Their own definition of fairness is only when it has to do with forcing the user to use up the data and not for the operator to be fair to the user enabling them to use their data as they wish. Airtel are better in this regard in that they allow 500megabyte and above to last for for two months. But even that is a ripoff.
There would have been a risk for these greedy service providers but they are very smart at ripping us off. Because of their data exploitation on the handsets many are gravitating towards the use of a mifi to provide data for their phones. But in the case of Africell they own a mifi service as well so the ripoff is transferred. So Airtel is on the losing end as I am sure data consumption has reduced because many prefer the Africell or Sierratel mifi service.
I have often wondered why the plan that existed for Blackberry phone users does not apply to other smart phone users. Then, Airtel for example, charged Blackerry users a flat rate for unlimited data use - I think it was around $ 50, I cant quite remember. How about an unlimited monthly on-net voice call and data plan for smart phone users. I know that was a special arrangement between the Blackberry company itself and Airtel or Zain as it was called then, but individuals can come forward and agree a plan for unlimited service. In the West it applies in almost all cases. If that were the case, I am sure Tanu Jalloh, like many others, would not have to be on tenterhooks, guessing as to what he was missing by not checking his email or going on social media. I wonder at NATCOM is reading this. I wonder even more so whether they will take any action. May be we should call on our religious leaders to champion this for us as well.
(C) Politico 02/02/16
