Paktia residents carp at poor telecom services

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Residents of southeastern Paktia province complain of inadequate telecom facilities, slow Internet speed and high service charges.

Mohammad Haroon, an inhabitant of Gardez, told Pajhwok Afghan News they were tired of the poor services of telecom networks.

“The telecom firms send us inflated bills but provide weak network coverage. These companies should assess and resolve the problems as soon as possible,” he suggested.

Wahid Gul Hashimi, another resident, also hit out at the telecom services. He said there was no coverage at night — an issue that should be addressed at the earliest possible.

“Telecom networks’ coverage in Paktia, mobile phone and Internet services are very bad and emailing a low-quality image takes hours. We have shared the issue with ATRA but so far no action has been taken,” he added.

Raz Mohammad Bawar, a resident of Chamkani district, said telecom coverage was very weak. “You have to go to an open place to dial a number.”

Rahmatullah Hewadmal, belonging to Dand-i-Pathan district, praised the growth of telecom services in the country over the past 18 years. But unfortunately, he added, these services were far from satisfactory in remote areas.

Abdullah Totakhel, the telecom, information and technology head, accepted the public criticism and said only the MTN network had problems. Most of Paktia residents had subscribed to MTN services, he explained.

Totakhel said he had shared the issue with ATRA, which had not taken any remedial action so far.

The residents warned of closing the offices of telecom companies if the problems were not resolved.

sa/mud

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