CCPC welcomes UZI on telecom market

…Fourth mobile network will help enhance services

ByNATION REPORTER THE coming of UZI Zambia Limited in the telecommunication industry will not only offer alternatives to consumers but also offer competition, which is beneficial to the growth and innovation of the sector, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has said.

In a statement, CCPC public relations officer Namukolo Kasumpa said as a body, whose primary function was advocacy and regulation, the CCPC welcomed the development as it would enhance quality service provision.

“The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) welcomes the issuance of the notification of award of licence to UZI Zambia Limited as a fourth mobile-network operator to provide similar services as the three existing mobile operators. “The Commission, as the primary advocate and regulator of competition and consumer welfare in Zambia, welcomes this development as it will not only offer alternatives to consumers in terms of service provision but will also as expected, offer competition that is beneficial for the growth and innovation of the sector in terms of service width and depth,” Ms. Kasumpa said.

She observed that through the introduction of the fourth player in the voice and internet services, the commission expected not only an improvement in the service provision, but also the introduction of new services.

“It is the commission’s further expectation that the complaints and concerns the consumers have been having with regards to service quality will be a thing of the past. Mobile operators are increasingly playing an important role not only in communication but also in financial inclusion through various innovative money transfer platforms and the use of unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) services.

“Therefore, the commission equally has high expectations like the citizens of this country… the commission hopes and trusts Uzi Zambia Limited will offer effective competition and further hopes that the consumers will benefit in terms of affordable and quality better services,” she said.

She said the commission hoped the market would continue to grow and to attract more players, leading to job creation and alternative service provision.

“We therefore wish to reiterate our unaverred call for open markets free from encumbrances,” she said.