Telephony services slow as telcos seek additional temporary spectrum

Subscribers to telephony services have decried the number of continuous downturn in service offerings by the Mobile Network Operator (MNOs) in Nigeria.
   
The rising cases of drop calls and very slow data services during this period of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, is pitching subscribers against the service providers.
  
The downturn in telephone service is not unconnected with the struggle by operators to keep up with the rise in voice and data traffic, subsequently leading to networks congestions.
   
To reduce the impact, the President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola told The Guardian that as much as the MNOs are managing the situation, “ATCON has engaged the Federal Government via the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, to request the provision of additional temporary spectrum to our members that require it to expand the capacity on their access networks.”

“While we all operate a redundancy regime that allows us to ensure service during spikes in traffic, none of our networks are built to handle the type of surge that subsists over a long period of time. We can’t give you a specific percentage but demand has definitely increased,” he stated.
    
Ndukwe said MTN is investing more resources to try and ensure that more capacity is in place, while being circumspect and cautious about the level of traffic it accommodates on the network.
   
“I also think it is important to acknowledge that this challenge is not limited to Nigeria. It is universal across the globe. In parts of Europe for example, we have seen operators approach content providers like Netflix to reduce their volume of traffic to prevent network congestion issues and we are constantly looking at other markets, as well as Nigeria’s specific circumstances, to tailor our response,” Ndukwe stressed.