Due to the increase in management cost, this medium has been reliable informed that mobile companies operating in Sierra Leone will soon shut down its operations in the remote areas of the country.
According to our sources, this is part of the measures that will be used to scale down on management cost. Our sources further informed that, the operational cost of management of mobile companies has increased thrice the initial cost, adding that, the mobile service providers are currently struggling to provide the much needed services for its subscribers.
Furthering that, if nothing is done to salvage the situation, this will affect all Sierra Leoneans. They also mentioned that, this measure has the proclivity to affect businesses, learning and other administrative functions in the remote areas of the country.
“When the people in the remote areas are deprived of the much needed telecommunication facilities they desire, it will have a ripping effect on the government of Sierra Leone,” one of our sources said, adding by urging the National Telecommunication Commission (NATCOM), the Ministry of Information and Communication and other state bodies that are concerned to intervene and find a win-win situation for all parties that are concerned. They continued by stating that, most of people in the provinces rely on the services provided by the mobile service providers to conduct their transactions at their own comfort.
With the penetration of mobile companies in remote areas with their mobile money services have also made life much easier in the provinces. This huge steps taken by mobile companies is a laudable one and for it to be shut down at this moment, will drastically affect the livelihood activities of people residing in remote areas of the country.
According to the findings of this medium, it is no fun that the astronomical rise of the dollar as against the leones has badly hit he telecommunication sector of the country. As the dollar continues to hit the roof top and couple with the global economic downturn, the telecommunication sector will not thrive well if they are left unattended. Sad to note that, if nothing is done by the appropriate authorities to cushion the challenges that mobile services operators are facing in the country, it will suddenly affect investment and employment. It is no joke that the government of Sierra Leone needs to speedily address the issue and save the telecommunication sector from collapsing.
