Parliament to probe telecom firms over service quality

Parliament is set to launch an inquiry into Zimbabwe's telecommunications sector following growing consumer complaints over poor service quality, network disruptions, connectivity challenges and pricing concerns.

The move follows a joint sitting of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Industry and Commerce and ICT, Postal and Courier Services, which met on Tuesday to consider issues affecting consumers of telecommunications services.

Clemence Chiduwa, who attended the meeting, said lawmakers were preparing a structured investigation aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the concerns being raised by consumers.

"We deliberated on issues that deal specifically with the fundamental rights of consumers when it comes to the consumption of mobile network operators' products," Chiduwa said.

"We have received an array of complaints from the consumers."

The joint committee heard oral evidence from the Consumer Protection Commission, the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe and the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.

Chiduwa said Parliament would work with consumer protection bodies to strengthen its understanding of the issues before proceeding with the next phase of its inquiry.

"We received the oral evidence, but in terms of our way forward, we are going to have a workshop that is going to be jointly organised by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe and the Consumer Protection Commission, where we are going to understand the issues on the fundamental rights of consumers deeper," he said.

POTRAZ Director-General Gift Machengete told legislators that telecommunications operators are legally required to notify both the regulator and consumers whenever service disruptions occur and must provide plans to address the underlying causes.

"So, it's not that they notify us only, but they also have to notify consumers of service challenges that they will be facing," Machengete said.

"Then they have to submit to the regulator remedial action plans and implement corrective measures within the prescribed period."

He said regulatory action is taken against operators that fail to meet quality-of-service obligations or cannot provide satisfactory explanations for service failures.

According to Machengete, all major mobile network operators have at various times faced penalties for failing to comply with quality-of-service standards.

He noted that one of the most common challenges cited by operators relates to power supply disruptions, which continue to affect network performance and service reliability.

"However, we have to ask them to give us what their problems will be. So, they also indicate challenges that they face and the major challenge that has been put forward by operators is to do with power supply," he said.

Machengete also revealed that POTRAZ is upgrading its quality-of-service monitoring systems to keep pace with technological developments, including the rollout of 5G services.

The parliamentary inquiry comes amid increasing concerns from consumers over the quality and affordability of telecommunications services, with lawmakers expected to scrutinise whether operators are meeting their obligations and adequately protecting consumer rights.