Subscribers Call for More Rollout of 4G Services at Yuletide

Emma Okonji

Telecoms subscribers under the aegis of National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), have called on telecoms operators to expedite action in rolling out more 4G LTE services across the country, to enable subscribers enjoy smooth and uninterrupted telecoms services with high speed connectivity this Yuletide.

President of NATCOMS, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo who made the call in Lagos recently, said it became necessary to enable the over 170 million subscribers across networks, to experience uninterrupted calls at Yuletide. According to him, “Yuletide is a season where subscribers send affectionate messages to their loved ones, and from past experiences, it is a season of increased volume of telecoms activities, which often put additional pressure on the networks.”

In order to avoid network congestion, which could lead to poor telecoms service delivery, operators should rollout more 4G LTE services, which comes with high speed connectivity and distinct voice clarity, “Ogunbanjo said.
If this is achieved, then subscribers will be able to communicate seamlessly at Yuletide, he added.

Speaking further, Ogunbanjo said since the inception of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) in 2001, there had always been increased volume of calls and text messages during Yuletide season, a situation, he said, had always caused congestions on networks. He therefore advised that additional rollout of 4G LTE services would be able to address the issue of congestion, since 4G LTE is characterised by high speed connectivity with voice clarity that could be sustained over a long period of call.

Although Ogunbanjo said there had been slight improvement in service quality since 2015, he however insisted that additional rollout of 4G LTE services will go a long way in maintaining stable and steady communications across networks at Yuletide.

Reacting to the recent suspension of price floor for data communication by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which seeks to hike data tariff across networks, Ogunbanjo, who hailed the suspension plan, warned against anything that could lead to increase in the cost of telecommunications services in the country.

Ogunbanjo who was reacting to the recent submission by telecoms operators that increase in telecommunications tariff would boost service quality, since they are already running at a loss with the present tariff rate, insisted that operators must first prove that they could maintain steady and better service quality, before thinking of increasing tariff. He maintained that 4G LTE services would be the best option for providing better service quality, just as he urged operators to speed up action in the rollout of 4G LTE services for the good of subscribers.

With the global trend in telecommunications service offering that is fast tilting from voice to data communication, telecom operators in the country, have in recent times, embarked on 4G LTE rollout. Globacom, MTN, Etisalat, among other telecoms operators, have rolled out their 4G LTE services in quick succession but the actual speed of connectivity of the services has not been felt by subscribers, who are eager to migrate their SIM cards from 3G technology to 4G LTE technology.

In technical parlance, 4G LTE is the fourth generation long term evolution technology, which is the latest telecoms technology after third generation (3G). The 4G LTE technology comes with high speed connectivity and high download speed and it enables users to download more pictures, and heavy documents, allowing consumers to watch movies anytime and video chat on-the-go.