Experts urge Nigerians to embrace internet telephony
Jonah Iboma
In the light of the current epileptic services and high price regime by Telecom Operators in the country, experts have advocated the use of internet telephony as the only succour available for now. One of their strong points is that Internet telephony forms more than 75 per cent of calls in developed countries while Nigerians still depend largely on GSM and landlines for both local and international calls. A Nigerian communication expert based in the United States of America, Dom Francis, lamented the cost and quality of services Nigerians are made to endure in the name of telephone services. He noted that the unfortunate thing was that the cost of calls was not commensurate with the services received by subscribers. He advised Nigerians to wake up to the realities of evolving technology stressing that Nigerians seem to have been left far too behind. "Out there internet calls is the main thing and it doesn't cost more than N5 per minute whether local or international, and with that, you can afford to do real business on phone rather than merely confirming appointment as it is in the country now for fear of costs." he said. He stated that the implication of this was that for N150, a caller can be on phone for 30 minutes no matter the network. Unfortunately, according to Francis, the same amount can only give a caller in the country that uses a GSM only three or four minutes of call time across networks in the country. Francis said it is the main reason people calling from abroad can afford to talk for more than two hours and never feel the pain was because they paid as little as nothing. He added that besides this, the service was never as epileptic as ordinary telephone calls that were available in Nigeria where calls could break more than ten times within a 3 minute call. Said he, "I don't see why Nigerians cannot make calls when it rains, but that is mostly the case in the country." Another US-based Telecom Engineer, Mr. Collins Iyamah, said Nigerians were under a heavy bondage when it came to telephony. He said it was not a good thing that people carry as many as four phones just to avoid inter-network calls adding that what was needed was either a software on his phone that allows him make internet calls wherever and whenever he wanted or a connection that interfaces with his fixed line phone to give him access to make internet calls always Iyamah said the basic problem with Nigeria is lack of adequate enlightenment, insisting that with proper enlightenment, Nigerians are supposed to live better than they were living presently. "In offices, for instance, internet abound, even in homes and shops, it is available because most of the Telecom Networks offer internet services. With it, anybody who has the right tools can always save telephone costs. All people need to be told are how to use it, how to acquire it and where to use it. I don't see why somebody can not use a USB and plug into a system with internet in the office or in the Cybercafe and make as much calls as he/she wishes to, and save enormous cost. It is all about information. Eventually, the razzmatazz of the Telecom operators have blinded Nigerians against other options available to us them," Iyamah said.
In the light of the current epileptic services and high price regime by Telecom Operators in the country, experts have advocated the use of internet telephony as the only succour available for now. One of their strong points is that Internet telephony forms more than 75 per cent of calls in developed countries while Nigerians still depend largely on GSM and landlines for both local and international calls. A Nigerian communication expert based in the United States of America, Dom Francis, lamented the cost and quality of services Nigerians are made to endure in the name of telephone services. He noted that the unfortunate thing was that the cost of calls was not commensurate with the services received by subscribers. He advised Nigerians to wake up to the realities of evolving technology stressing that Nigerians seem to have been left far too behind. "Out there internet calls is the main thing and it doesn't cost more than N5 per minute whether local or international, and with that, you can afford to do real business on phone rather than merely confirming appointment as it is in the country now for fear of costs." he said. He stated that the implication of this was that for N150, a caller can be on phone for 30 minutes no matter the network. Unfortunately, according to Francis, the same amount can only give a caller in the country that uses a GSM only three or four minutes of call time across networks in the country. Francis said it is the main reason people calling from abroad can afford to talk for more than two hours and never feel the pain was because they paid as little as nothing. He added that besides this, the service was never as epileptic as ordinary telephone calls that were available in Nigeria where calls could break more than ten times within a 3 minute call. Said he, "I don't see why Nigerians cannot make calls when it rains, but that is mostly the case in the country." Another US-based Telecom Engineer, Mr. Collins Iyamah, said Nigerians were under a heavy bondage when it came to telephony. He said it was not a good thing that people carry as many as four phones just to avoid inter-network calls adding that what was needed was either a software on his phone that allows him make internet calls wherever and whenever he wanted or a connection that interfaces with his fixed line phone to give him access to make internet calls always Iyamah said the basic problem with Nigeria is lack of adequate enlightenment, insisting that with proper enlightenment, Nigerians are supposed to live better than they were living presently. "In offices, for instance, internet abound, even in homes and shops, it is available because most of the Telecom Networks offer internet services. With it, anybody who has the right tools can always save telephone costs. All people need to be told are how to use it, how to acquire it and where to use it. I don't see why somebody can not use a USB and plug into a system with internet in the office or in the Cybercafe and make as much calls as he/she wishes to, and save enormous cost. It is all about information. Eventually, the razzmatazz of the Telecom operators have blinded Nigerians against other options available to us them," Iyamah said.
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