Airtel among telcos facing criminal charges for poor quality in Zambia

Poor service is making doing business difficult in Zambia, the regulator has said

Zambia telecom regulator Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has filed criminal cases against all three operators in the country — Airtel, MTN and state-run Zamtel — alleging poor quality mobile phone services.

No immediate comments were received from Airtel. ZICTA said under rules in force it had an option to invoke either administrative or criminal sanctions arising from the failure to adhere to the parameters relating to quality of service.

“The deteriorating levels of quality of service has made communication difficult and resulted in increased public outcry and negative impact on ease of doing business in Zambia,” ZICTA spokesperson Ngabo Nankond said. The board of the authority, on June 27, authorised management’s decision to move for prosecuting all the three companies, she said.