I have read a post that said something about
it onnet offnet parity to try to shoot down the increase in fixed data prices.
That argument was out of place. But there is still a sound argument why MTN was
wrong in increasing Fixed Data prices and punishing Fixed Data customers for no
justifiable reason.
MTN’s SMP conditionalities were in specific
reference to MOBILE VOICE, SMS, and MOBILE DATA.
It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with fixed
services.
Indeed, when it comes to fixed services in
Ghana, Vodafone holds an overwhelming market share and they will be named SMP
if the government decides to name one. At the last count, Vodafone Ghana had
over 97% fixed services market share. The rest are nowhere near Vodafone at
all.
So, MTN has no business increasing fixed data
prices at all with respect to its SMP status. They are nowhere near SMP in that
space.
The only reason MTN did that, as I am told,
was to be proactive because the NCA keeps coming to them to ask for the
implementation of one SMP condition or the other. So, in order not to wait for
NCA to call for an adjustment in fixed data rates, MTN chose to be proactive
with the adjustments.
But I think MTN chose the wrong space for
this price adjustment because they are not the SMP in the fixed service market
and their conditionalities are in specific reference to mobile voice, mobile
data, and SMS.
So why is MTN punishing TurboNet and Fixed
Fiber customers in the name of being proactive? Why would MTN assume that NCA
would ask them to increase prices in a space they are not dominating?
This fixed data price increase is not on and
MTN needs to it back and do the right thing. This is not the right thing to do
at all. If they don’t do what is right, then the suspicion that they are just
creating a situation for people to wrongfully point finger at the government
would be upheld.
MTN do what is right!
By: Samuel Dowuona - The writer is a three-time Best
Telecommunications Reporter at the Ghana Journalists Awards (GJAs), and
currently the CEO and Editor of tech news platform, Techgh24.com
