The two giant Mobile Network Operators-Africell and Orange appear to be appealing to government for business and investment friendly policies.
Their cries seem to be channeled through their appropriate regulators for consideration for soft regulations for the sustenance of the telecommunication sector and mutual returns.
These speculative appeals emerged in the wake of rise in foreign exchange rates, which were captured in several print and online media reports. With this MNOs seem to be crying for relax of tougher regulations and rules, amidst the trending burdensome inflation and hike in foreign exchange rates in Sierra Leone. The unfriendly situation has the proclivity of igniting tariff increase at the detriment of both network operators and their respective subscribers across the country. That is why they are pleading with the New Direction government of President Julius Maada Bio for his kindest consideration for relax the burdens on them, as it done for oil marketers.
Unlike other service providers, MNOs’ operations are largely cost in forex, and with the rising cost of exchange rates, they continue to be confronted with administrative, management and production cost challenges ranging from defiant and infamous inflation, increase in foreign exchange rates, fuel, energy cost to awful internet subscription rates etc., which is why MNOs are somehow calling on government through the line Ministry of Information and Communications, the National Telecommunication Commission NATCOM and others stakeholders in the sector, to give them a bit of respite, with soft business and investment schemes. A structural reform MNOs consider as a safer path for mutual benefits in the telecommunications industry.
Africell and Orange are therefore seeking government’s kindest attention for thoughts of an encouraging and friendly and encouraging measures to entice others invest in the sector under review. Africell and Orange are currently faced with serious challenges that have already warranted the downsizing of their workforce, withdrawals of their services and product from non-profitable areas which cause negative impacts on subscribers’ livelihoods.
These operators whose operations are largely cost in forex, continue to be over burdened by challenges of production and maintenance cost for their various cell sites across the country, and payments for the fiber cable. These tied to other emerging issues are currently affecting the smooth and efficient operations of both networks, and by extension causing huge unemployment in the country.
So in a bid to continue with efficient deliveries of their services and products to the public, the two biggest MNOs Orange and Africell are therefore seeking government’s timely intervention to save the situation from degenerating into a plight of causing job lost, high tariffs for subscribers and other excruciating circumstances for private sector investments.
And as government being the mother of all private sector investments, should sympathetically deem it fit to rescue these friendly private sector investors in the country’s growing telecommunications sectors, by way of relaxing certain rules, regulations and create a perfect conditions for the operations of Africell and Orange. With the reintroduction of a friendly private sector investment framework, backed by nationalistic rules and regulations that will enable the aforementioned MNOs to serve your people and friends of Sierra Leone satisfactorily.
So president Bio use your good office and make the necessary intervention through the appropriate regulators to reverse attempts by agencies trying to implement unfriendly measures with the tendencies to affect the operations of your good friends – the Mobile Network Operators, who are always prepared to collaborate and partner with government’s development plans and initiatives in all sectors through their respective Corporate Social Responsibilities.
