By Jane Chanda
Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) executive secretary Juba Sakala says the association has written to the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to revise the current penalties and introduce stiffer ones that will deter Airtel from providing poor services.
And Sakala said Airtel’s compensation to consumers for poor services is a mockery, calling it a totally inadequate response.
In an interview with Daily Revelation yesterday, Sakala noted that the disruption of services by Airtel was not a new phenomenon, but had been happening for years, and while the recent compensation directed by the authorities was a welcome move, the amount remained unclear.
Sakala emphasised that despite the compensation, the network service provider needed to do more to improve its services.
He said the company’s poor services were making it the least desired network, with many consumers wanting to switch to other providers.
“The issue is not just about compensating us, but about Airtel improving its services,” Sakala said. “We are suffocated because we are in a marriage of convenience with them. We want the penalties to be a deterrent, so that Airtel thinks twice before providing poor services,” he said.
The executive secretary also noted that ZICTA was still in the process of revising the penalties, and that ZACA was waiting for the outcome.
“We know it will take time, but we are looking forward to it,” he said. “ZICTA will be liaising with the Ministry of Science and Technology and other stakeholders to ensure that the revised penalties are effective.”
Sakala further said Airtel needed to expand its infrastructure to accommodate the growing number of consumers.
“They have more consumers than any other network, but they are not investing enough in infrastructure,” he said. “We have mandated ZICTA to ensure that all consumers are compensated, and we will follow up on this. We will also engage Airtel themselves to ensure that they improve their services and do not repeat the same mistakes.”
Sakala called on all mobile network operators to pull up their socks and provide better services, emphasising that consumers were fed up with empty promises, and it was time for the companies to take concrete action to improve their services.
“We are tired of lip service from these companies,” he said. “It’s time for them to take action and improve their service.”
On Tuesday, Daily Revelation contacted Airtel Zambia regarding the internet outage that occurred on February 2, 2025, which impacted data services in several provinces that included Lusaka, Southern, Western, Central, and Eastern.
In response, Airtel’s head of corporate communications, Yuyo Nachali Kambikambi, stated that the company took full responsibility for the disruption and was committed to compensating all affected customers with data bundles and apologised for the inconvenience, while assuring that Airtel prioritised providing a reliable and seamless experience for its customers.
Airtel’s compensation commitment followed ZICTA’s directive to pay K4 million to affected customers and upgrade its infrastructure to prevent recurring outages, ensuring reliable communication services and protecting consumer interests.
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