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THE last month has been a nightmare for me as a Vodacom customer. Not because of prices or billing issues or customer service, but because of the deteriorating reliability of the cellular network itself.

Judging from readers' feedback, it seems I am not alone in this - and I have received complaints from MTN subscribers too.

The problems started with an increasing amount of dropped calls. This has always been a side-effect of cellular communications, but something which has become unbearable of late. It seems impossible for me to get through a single phone call without having to call someone back.

That was just the beginning. More recently, I am not receiving calls at all. People have infrequently gone straight to my voicemail, even though I had a full signal on my phone and tested it repeatedly. Some have even reported that my phone rang and went to voicemail, while nothing happened on my side.

I also seem to receive SMS messages alerting me to the fact that I have voicemail infrequently, which means I miss a lot of messages left for me.

The coverage of Vodacom's 3G network also seems to be deteriorating. In many areas of Johannesburg where I used to be able to access the 3G data network, I am now only able to use snail-pace GPRS connectivity.

The pressure of profit

At first I thought it was just me, but I have been receiving messages (not on my cellphone, clearly) from readers who have had similar experiences.

On Twitter, in the comments on Fin24.com and via my email I have received tales of dropped calls, the inability to get through to people on their cellphones and worsening 3G coverage. Most of these problems seem to come from Vodacom customers, but I have heard from MTN subscribers with similar issues.

I also know the problem has nothing to do with my actual phone or my account, because I have tested a number of cellphones over the last month and encountered the same problems on all of them - and on both my regular contract and a spare prepaid account I use for testing.

An analyst suggested that the problem was that Vodacom and MTN's networks were suffering from congestion. Simply put, there are too many people on the networks - and while MTN and Vodacom should, and would, be spending money on upgrading the capacity of their infrastructure, they have had to cut back on spending in the deteriorating local market where profits are under increasing pressure.

The growing use of cellular internet connectivity is also placing strain on the networks and I suspect that they may be disabling 3G on some towers to slow down usage - but that is just a theory.

What infuriates me most is that the networks seem more interested in getting new customers than satisfying their current client base. International market research has shown that servicing existing customers is more profitable than attracting new business, as delighted consumers will spend more money with you over the long term.

I would suggest, then, that our cellular networks turn their attention to fixing what they have instead of pursuing what they don't.

Light at the end of the tunnel

The good news is that more competition in the local industry might force our cellular giants into fixing things. Telkom Mobile, for all its faults, will be one new entrant to the market with an eye to carving out a piece of the pie currently occupied by MTN and Vodacom.

Cell C is also making progress in the rollout of its new network that will sport new data technology and bolster coverage to finally enable the company to compete on an almost-even footing.

While it will be some time before the third and fourth network operators get up to speed, I hope MTN and Vodacom realise they stand to lose customers who can't wait to switch to another provider for no other reason than that they are gatvol of deteriorating service.

However, I should add that MTN and Vodacom are not alone internationally. Visit global websites such as this one and you will find similar rants about the likes of AT&T, Verizon and countless other mature cellular network operators exposed to the same dynamics as our local guys.

This column will not make me popular with the local networks, and I can already hear the excuses - that these problems are restricted to me. But I know they aren't, and I am certain that the comments below this article will be testament to that.

- Fin24.com

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