By William Selmah, wselmah@gmail.com
The 12-hour ultimatum given GSM companies in Liberia by the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) to halt the “illegal and arbitrary increase in cost of service (voice & data bundles) has elapsed, with none no change in the new price structure for voice and data.
On Thursday, October 8, 2020, the new price structure by the two private providers—Lone Star cell MTN and Orange Liberia—took effect, prompted by the Liberian government’s insistence on increasing surcharge on telecommunications.
A surcharge is defined as an extra fee, charge, or tax that is added on to the cost of a good or service, beyond the initially quoted price. Often, a surcharge is added to an existing tax and is not included in the stated price of the good or service.
Due to the new surcharge which has prompted the new increase in data and voice, the government of President George Weah has come under serious public criticism, with an upsurge of popular anger from ordinary people. The government is said to be driving the Liberian people deeper into hardship and poverty, many say.
The websites of the two companies are yet to reflect any return to the status quo with respect to stipulations for service charges. And some analysts say the move by the government to call for a drop in prices are intended to safe face.
The LTA, the telecommunications regulatory body in Liberia in in a press release issued Thursday, October 8, 2020 in Monrovia described the new increment as arbitrary in fees of telecommunication products or services, which it says violates the Liberia Telecommunications Act of 2007, prohibiting increase in terms of services without its (LTA) approval.
But the mobile service providers had given prior notice of the increase in text messages to client, after the government won a case against Orange Liberia, which was opposing the new surcharge at the Supreme Court of Liberia.
Under the fees introduced by the MNOs, services are increased by over 100%.
USD 2.00 which previously earned 1.2gb, can now pay for only less than half of that quantity, while USD 1.00 for 45 minutes, is worth only 15 minutes.
It can be recalled that Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) imposed what they called floor price on voice and data thus leading to the cancellation of the highly preferred three day unlimited calls at the cost of USD 1.00.
The LTA has threatened stringent punitive actions against the MNOs terming their latest move as collusion and conspiracy.
But there is a general feeling among consumers that the LTA is merely pretending to be unaware of the increment though it implicitly approved it, making reference to statements it issued in September 2019, when MNOs cancelled the three day unlimited calls at USD 1.00.
Phone in radio shows were Thursday inundated with angry callers lashing at the LTA and the George Weah government for being insensitive to the plight of the suffering masses.
Some callers warned that if the new increment is left to stand, they will protest with their votes against CDC candidates at the pending midterm senatorial elections and the 2023 presidential elections.