'Complaints over telecom services up in 2013'

AMMAN — Complaints lodged by citizens on telecom services provided by operators in the country rose by 36 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012, according to official figures.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) received 2,155 complaints on mobile, fixed line and Internet services in 2013 compared with 1,580 complaints in 2012, according to a TRC report highlighting its achievements last year.

Of the total complaints in 2013, some 1,060 were related to mobile services, 122 to fixed line services and 966 to Internet services, while seven complaints were against Jordan Post, according to the report, posted on the TRC website.

“The TRC addressed 1,500 of the total complaints, or about 70 per cent, and is in the process of looking into the remaining complaints, which are likely to take a long time as they are related to weak mobile network coverage and low quality of calls,” the report said. 

Under its achievements in 2013, the commission listed a campaign to raise awareness among mobile users on their rights and how to lodge complaints over services.

The TRC allocated a free number (117000) for mobile users to report any complaints.

The rise in complaints was attributed to the increase in the number of cell phone users in the country, where mobile subscriptions reached 10.2 million by the end of September last year, with a 155 per cent mobile penetration rate.

In remarks to the press late last year, ICT Minister Azzam Sleit said the level of services provided by local telecom operators is “unsatisfactory and unacceptable”, warning that authorities will start taking measures to force them to enhance quality.

Several telecom service users interviewed by The Jordan Times have complained of “bad quality and drop in calls”, while telecom operators rejected the claims as “incorrect”, insisting that the performance of telecom networks in the Kingdom is better than other countries in the region.