Activist urges telecom companies to provide cheap and strong internet to citizens
The Executive Director for the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) Ter Manyang Gatwech has urged the telecommunication companies to provide cheap and strong internet for people to get opportunities in the labor market.
He called upon MTN and Zain to provide cheap and reliable internet to users so that they can get job opportunities in the country, region, Africa and globally.
“It (internet) helps to shape business and public services and therefore, affordable internet will accelerate economic growth for all in this country. East and West Africa regions provide cheapest internet to their citizens that’ why Nigerians, Kenyans and Ugandan dominate the regional and global opportunities,” said Gatwech in a statement issued in Juba on Wednesday.
He appealed to the government to make serious regulation so that the service providers provide affordable internet to citizens in order to explore the national, regional and global opportunities in the country.
Gatwech expressed deep concerns about the recent increase in internet rates by telecommunication companies in South Sudan by especially MTN and Zain, adding that despite the hike in rates the internet service remains unreliable.
“How many ordinary South Sudanese citizen can afford 515 SSP every day for 100 MBs which can’t take two hours,” he wondered.
“Internet Service Providers like MTN and Zain in South Sudan provide poor and expensive internet compared to MTN in Uganda and Safaricom of Kenya which provide cheap and strong internet to the users. Over 500,000 people in Kenya are using Wi-Fi at their residence to get job opportunities in Kenya and globally,” said Gatwech.
