Ring-tune out: e-mail protest call

Namibian e-mail users are being asked to boycott the use of cellular phones for 36 hours tomorrow and Friday in protest against excessive charges and bad service.

An e-mail identifying the culprits as South African cell-phone operators reads: “Please join me and and others for a national boycott on all incoming [or] outgoing cellular phone calls and visiting all cellular shops (for 24 hours). Let’s show the cellular networks and manufactures they need their 24 million customers more than we need them”.Although the message identifies the culprits as South African cell-phone operators, it will be the Namibian service provider that is affected if the boycott is followed, as called for, from 0h700 tomorrow until 19h00 on Friday.Bengt Strenge, MD of Mobile Telecommunications (MTC), told The Namibian: “We of course know about this initiative and there is no plan of action from our side to try to stop it”.He said: ” We will continue to work aggressively with upgrading our network (63 new base stations planned during this financial year, Oct ’03 to Sep ’04, Windhoek to be equipped with 180 -band, new road coverage from Arimsvlei to Oshikango … ) and we will continue to improve our service as much as we possibly can.This we are doing with or without initiatives like this”.Let’s show the cellular networks and manufactures they need their 24 million customers more than we need them”.Although the message identifies the culprits as South African cell-phone operators, it will be the Namibian service provider that is affected if the boycott is followed, as called for, from 0h700 tomorrow until 19h00 on Friday.Bengt Strenge, MD of Mobile Telecommunications (MTC), told The Namibian: “We of course know about this initiative and there is no plan of action from our side to try to stop it”. He said: ” We will continue to work aggressively with upgrading our network (63 new base stations planned during this financial year, Oct ’03 to Sep ’04, Windhoek to be equipped with 180 -band, new road coverage from Arimsvlei to Oshikango … ) and we will continue to improve our service as much as we possibly can. This we are doing with or without initiatives like this”.