Operators fail to upgrade system: Poor cellphone service
By Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, Aug 18: When you are stuck in your office or somewhere in a disastrous situation mobile phones are the last hope that keeps you connected with your family members at home. But unfortunately, the Thursday’s rains and thunderstorms have exposed the service of cellphone operators whose network collapsed leaving family member of millions of customers in an uncertain situation.
Now expect more, talk freely, few paisa per minute, heavy discount on call/SMS are some of the popular slogans of the cell phone operators but they virtually proved hollow when customers needed to call in a disastrous situation and they failed to get the connection.
The operators spend huge amount on marketing of the new products through a galore of advertisement campaigns in print and electronic media in order to lure customers who perhaps do not expect such kind of uncertain situation of not receiving and making call in a catastrophic situation.
May be the communication system (switches and towers) installed by the these operators are not equipped to handle heavy load in an emergency situation or perhaps the operators are least bothered in making heavy investment in this area as compared to huge investment being made on marketing.
It appears that the telecom sector regulator Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is quite reluctant in taking any practical steps against these cellphone operators who have virtually failed in providing quality service to their clients.
The service of Mobilink, which has invested $1.5bn and has the highest number of over 18 million subscribers, has been lopsided not only in disastrous situation but in normal days.
Dawn tried to find out from the executives of leading mobile phone service providers as to why the customers face the hardships when rains or something else play havoc in the cities.
Mobilink Vice-President Marketing Bilal Munir Shaikh said it was not the company’s system problem. Actually towers and switches run on electricity. On Thursday, majority of the areas of the mega city faced power outage as soon as the rains started, resulting in suspension of cellphone connectivity because of shutting of electricity to towers and switches.
“The cellphone lines remained disconnected for 45 minutes and was restored in majority of the areas where electricity was restored,” he said.
“It is not the case that the switches and towers are facing overflow situation in terms of new and old connections. Extreme weather affects the system all over the world,” Munir said, adding that the company had made maximum investment to maintain the capacity and enhance the capacity so that consumers could not face problems.
He said Mobilink was the only company which followed the PTA guidelines of informing general public regarding disruptions in lines whether it was PTCL fibre link problem or electricity problems and it was evident from the advertisements in print media. “Other companies do not bother in informing the general public in case their customers face problems,” he added.
Omar Manzur, PRO of Mobilink, rejected the market perception that the company’s system was facing over capacity problem which caused connectivity problems. “We do not have capacity constraint problem right now,” he added.
A senior executive in Ufone told Dawn from Islamabad that usually in heavy downpour the microwave links system collapsed, but the hanging in connection on Thursday was basically caused by the power failure to towers and switches.
He said the rain water created problems in many areas where towers were installed at the rooftop of residential and commercial buildings as it found its way in the area where switches were installed on the ground floor damaging the backup generators and UPS.
A senior executive in Warid Telecom Company, who asked not to be named, says that there is no problem in the system. Actually when power supply disconnects because of rain it shuts off the system and even some times backup generators and UPS do not work properly, which lead to shutting down of the system and consumers face problems in receiving and making calls.
He said the communication system installed by mobile phone operators cannot sustain heavy load in extreme situations and it needed to be upgraded, which requires huge investment. “There should be a handsome return on huge investment which the operators cannot get in the heated competition in which calling charges are being reduced frequently,” he added.
