Mobile company defends hike in service charges

The National National

By CHARLES MOI
and MARK HAIHUIE
ONE of the country’s three telecommunication service providers has defended a recent hike in service charges, saying it continues to “spend millions” in upgrading and expanding its network in the country.
Digicel PNG senior vice-president Lorna McPherson told The National: “Digicel continues to offer the best value for mobile and data services on the biggest and fastest network in Papua New Guinea.
“We continue to spend millions of dollars upgrading and expanding our network nationwide.” She said Digicel had:

  •  added 20 to 100 per cent more minutes to bundles:
  •  added 30 to 200 per cent more data to bundles;
  •  made specific bundles for feature phone and smartphone users;
  •  created 40 new bundles based on customer feedback so that each customer could see a bundle relevant to his or her device and usage/spend pattern.
    “Our prices continue to fall year on year,” she said.
    “Recently, following a customer feedback, we have changed a number of our many price plans and bundles to include substantially more data, minutes and sms.”
    Meanwhile, the Independent Competition Consumer Commission has clarified it does not approve or regulate the ICT rates.
    Commissioner and chief executive officer Paulus Ain told The National via email last night that the statement by Public Enterprise and State Investment Minister William Duma in Parliament on Wednesday regarding telecommunication charges and prices was misleading.
    Duma, responding to questions by East Sepik Governor Alan Bird on the recent hike in mobile phone service fees and charges by Telikom, said telecommunication charges and prices were fixed by the ICCC. But Ain said the National Information Communication Technology (Nicta) was the regulator of the ICT industry.
    He said Nicta approved rates accordingly.
    No comment could be obtained from Nicta yesterday.
    ICCC had earlier said it did not regulate the prices of data services, thus it could not take any action against such increases.
    It also said consumers had rights protected under the ICCC Act. One of the most important rights was the “right to choice”.