Changes to telecommunications services in Mozambique, namely the end of unlimited packages, are leading to complaints from customers, the executive director of the consumer protection association ProConsumer told Lusa this Wednesday.
“Yes, there have been complaints, given the rise in telecommunications prices, which has had a negative impact on the financial situation of consumers,” Alexander Basian said in response to the new packages being applied from Saturday, including the abolition of unlimited data. and voice services from three mobile operators following the intervention of the National Institute of Communications of Mozambique (INCM).
Without specifying the figures, Basian said that since Saturday, the consumer protection agency has been receiving complaints about the alleged increase in prices for service packages, especially for mobile data, which is causing “great embarrassment for consumers.”
“The regulator said the price would fall, but that’s not what’s happening. He says he’s set benchmarks, but in practice that’s not what we’re seeing,” the ProConsumer executive said, adding that the situation is “harming many.” with a focus on students using data services in teaching and learning.
“It is necessary to understand that currently mobile telephone services are not a luxury, but a communication necessity, the most important service for the consumer,” Basian said.
Faced with the end of unlimited packages, ProConsumer’s chief executive accused the regulator of failing to provide information, which “seriously violates consumer rights.”
“There has never been enough information for the consumer, and this has been the highlight of this process,” he emphasized.
Basian also noted that the regulator made decisions on the functioning of the market “without proper consultation with the public.”
The president of INCM, Mozambique’s communications regulator, said on Tuesday it had instructed telecoms operators to scrap unlimited data and voice bundles to avoid “market collapse” and “unfair competition”.
“Prices [das comunicações telefónicas] no longer the same. We banned the introduction of unlimited packages that harmed the economy. The 30-day packages continue to apply, but the consumer cannot speak unlimitedly to the point where it costs them nothing,” explained Tuaha Mote.
The director said the regulator had removed unlimited data and voice bundles as a measure to avoid “unfair competition” between operators and ensure greater market openness to attract investment in the sector.
The communications regulator announced last Thursday that telecommunications services will become cheaper on average from Saturday, May 4, following the entry into force of tariffs in which operators adjust minimum values.
According to Mote, the average price of voice services in Mozambique will fall from six meticai (eight euro cents) per minute to five meticai (five cents), while the average price of data services will drop from 2.30 meticai (33 cents) per megabyte. to 1.08 meticais (26 cents).
The average price of an SMS message service will decrease from 1.70 metikai (24 cents per SMS) to 1.10 metikai (one cent euro).
The update to average prices comes after INCM published a resolution on February 19 establishing new minimum tariffs in the telecommunications sector, especially for national on- and off-net calls, data services and messaging services.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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