Bamyanis resent low quality, expensive telecom services

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Some residents of central Bamiyan complain about low quality and high prices of internet and telecommunications services in the province.

Barat Ali, a resident of Yakawlang district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that poor telecommunications and internet services had created problems for people in this district

He said many residents of this district lacked access to telecommunications services, and in areas where telecommunication towers do exist, the quality of service is very poor, making it challenging for local residents to communicate and leading to serious difficulties.

Ali Jumma, a resident of the provincial center of Bamiyan, also noted that the quality of telecommunications services is decreasing day by day, causing issues for people in making phone calls.

He added, “Signals often fail. Even if a connection is established, the sound cuts out after a few moments or becomes inaudible."

He called on relevant authorities to monitor the quality of telecommunications services and pay more attention to people’s problems.

Nader Hosseini, another resident, said in addition to telecommunications, internet services were also problematic for the people, and no any significant attention had been paid to this issue.

He explained that in most districts, the internet did not work, and even in the center where "4G" internet services are provided by telecommunications networks, were also not satisfactory due to its weak performance.

He emphasized, "Even though subscribers live close to telecommunications towers, there are days when their internet simply does not work, and people wait for hours for the connection to be restored."

At the same time, local officials state that efforts to address this problem are ongoing.

Mohammad Nazif Noorzi, deputy head of the Telecommunications and Information Technology Department in Bamiyan, said that some technical issues had arisen in telecommunications networks, but after monitoring and review, the situation was now improving.

He added that there are approximately 117 telecommunications towers, both public and private, operating in Bamiyan, providing services to the people, and internet services are offered in various forms, including 4G, 3G, and mostly 2G.

He also noted that some residents of this province still lack access to telecommunications services, and travelers on major highways face similar issues.

Recently, construction of about 12 new telecommunications sites has been approved by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the completion and activation of these sites in future will help resolve the existing problems in Bamiyan.

sa/ma