The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has obliged mobile operators in Egypt to refund EGP 2m to their respective customers due to service failures from January to June 2021.
In its report on Tuesday, NTRA stated that 68% of the complaints it received were regarding voice services (prepaid and postpaid subscriptions), while 19% were false claims, 9% were regarding subscription to services without users’ request, and 4% about roaming issues.
Orange accounted for the largest share of refunds at 65%, followed by Vodafone 23%, Etisalat 10%, and WE 2%, according to the report.
NTRA also obliged ADSL providers to update their subscription system so that approving customer requests do not take more than a week. The new system shall be activated starting from October 2021.
The Authority also ordered mobile companies to notify users through an SMS of any amounts that will be deducted from their credit when recharging. ADSL providers shall also notify users through an SMS when they consume 50%, 75%, and 100% of their bundle to enable them to keep track of their consumption.
Earlier, NTRA announced doubling the capacity of the Telecom User Complaint Center, via 155, to work throughout the whole week from 8:00 to 22:00, including official holidays and feasts.
According to NTRA, it has received about 117,300 complaints from telecommunications users during the first half (H1) of this year. Users’ complaints about ADSL represented 52% of the total complaints. The response rate of operators to complaints in H1 of 2021 was 92%, and the average response time to a complaint was two days.
NTRA receives complaints through call centres via 155, in addition to electronic means, such as its website, email, and WhatsApp.
According to the report, the number of complaints related to the landlines amounted to about 19,600, representing 17% of the total complaints.
The number of mobile-related complaints amounted to about 35,900, representing 31%, while the percentage of ADSL complaints amounted to 52%, with 61,600 complaints.
NTRA said it received 86% of the complaints via call centres, 9% on its website, 4% on WhatsApp, and 1% via email.
According to the report, the Greater Cairo area accounted for about 52% of complaints, 23% from the Delta, 11% from Alexandria, 11% from Upper Egypt, and 3% from the Suez Canal cities.