Zain…a confused world?
I recently spoke about my impatient wait for Globacom a.k.a Glo to fully commence operations in GH. My eagerness or do I say worry is heigtened by a thousand and one reasons. Key among them- the inefficiency and/or inability of the mobile telephone service provider Zain to sustain their voice calling service. The Kuwaiti network claiming to provide subscribers a wonderful world seems to feeding some of us a confused world.
Imagine this, for nearly two weeks, I have not been able to make or receive any call on my phone simply because the Zain network is terrible. The message on the screen always reads “limited network” or “no service”. This notice on my phone really gives me the creeps. Here I was thinking the MTN network was so bad and was thinking of making a complete switch over to the “wonderful world” only to be slapped in the face with these seriously annoying and irritating greetings daily on my phone. And I’m not talking of a greeting which lasts for just some minutes – no sir- this message sometimes stays on my screen the whole damn day and its not funny.
The problem I have with the telecom sector in this country is that it appears the companies just operate in a vacuum. It’s as if there is no oversight authority monitoring the work of these companies thus they just take their subscribers for granted knowing that the subscribers will by all means buy recharge cards, make calls and send SMS so no matter what happens. So what is the National Communications Authority doing about these telecom networks who are just ripping the good people of this country?
Since Monday, the BBC Focus on Africa program has been running a news item about an Indian telecom company looking forward to buy the Kuwaiti Zain Africa division. “Indian mobile phone company Bharti Airtel has offered to buy Kuwaiti telecommunications firm Zain’s African assets for $10.7bn (£6.8bn). In a statement, Bharti said the two companies would now enter into talks which would last until 25 March.” Morocco and Sudan are however not included in the assets Bharti wants to take over in Africa although I seriously hope Zain Ghana is part of the assests to be taken over.
I don’y much about Bharti or its operations but hey if they are in the position to improve services for Zain’s subscribers here in Ghana then I am all for it because as it stands now, Zain is failing big time to satisfy its clientelle in I dare say the entire country. I sometimes wonder why they are so interested in spending so much money to promote their so-called Corporate Social Responsibility which they’re calling ZAIN TOUCHING LIVES STROY. The idea is noble and all, don’t get me wrong but what is the essence of trying to look good in the eyes of the public when you really and truly are not doing anything for people who have doled out money to buy into your business?
Zain is said to operate in 15 African countries with a total of 65 million customers making about 60% of its customers in Africa -and that includes me don’y forget – but all 65 million of us contribute only 15% to the company’s net profit. Well they can’t blame us customers for that can they? If their services are so poor do they expect us to stay with them? Sometimes I ask myself what I would have done if the Zain network was the only phone network I was using with all these wahala? How many people in Ghana do not use more than one mobile phone SIM card? Ask you self why they do that?
