Mobile-Network Woes [SOS]

Blackberry; a mobile device famously called a perfect companion. It is a device that keeps your office and business with you wherever you go.

However, as we all know, a Blackberry cannot function at its full potential without an active Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) or Blackberry Enterprise Service (BES) Plan.

Having a blackberry was fun, but maximising its purpose for which it was built, has been a thing of frustration, thanks to Globacom Nigeria.

I have been a Globacom Nigeria mobile subscriber for the past five (5) years and I must commend that it has been a period of smiles and satisfaction. I was impressed by Globacom Nigeria’s Quality of Service (QoS) as regards voice calls, therefore, when I finally bought a blackberry some few months back, I decided to hook onto “Globacom Nigeria’s Blackberry Internet Service” and this singular act of mine, happened to be my un-doing.

No doubt, I had some blissful moments at the beginning but it did not last long, as the true face of things as regards Globacom Nigeria’s Blackberry service in Calabar began to show up. At first, it started with frequent network downtimes on the blackberry platform and then on the 11^th of June, 2010, [Blackout], Glo Mobile’s Blackberry Network across the whole length and breadth of Calabar was down and out and this blackout ran consistently for three (3) days until reprieve came on the 14^th of June, 2010. The most interesting part was that, while my friends all over Calabar were placing phone calls across to each other during the blackout period to see if it was a general issue of which it was, numerous calls placed to the Glo Mobile blackberry helpline on “333” was received with statements of unawareness of such an occurrence. Personally, I made numerous calls to the Glo Mobile blackberry helpline on “333” during this blackout period of which the customer service representatives gave me an impression that they were not aware of such situation. Anyway, network was restored on the 14^th of June, 2010 after a 3-day consistent blackout of the Glo Mobile blackberry service in Calabar, but when I thought that hope had come, I never knew that was the beginning of an unprecedented collapse of the Glo Mobile blackberry service in Calabar.

The staff at the Glo Mobile Blackberry / General customer-care centre can testify to how many times I have sent them emails and to the uncountable times I have called in regards to the consistent poor blackberry service rendered by a network who wants her subscribers to Rule their World when they cannot even Rule theirs.

With the comatose state of Glo Mobile’s Blackberry Service in Calabar with very infrequent uptimes, I wish to ask the following questions;

1.   1. Why is it that Glo Mobile’s blackberry customer service team claimed to be unaware of the three (3) days total blackout that occurred from the 11^th – 14^th of June, 2010 in Calabar?

2.   2. When are we expecting to see the gains of the Glo-1 underwater cable of which was widely spoken about with adverts all across local and international media?

4.   3. Glo Mobile Nigeria, should give just one reason as to why they should be allowed to continue operations   in Calabar despite its comatose blackberry service?

*My Views are centered on Glo Mobile’s Quality of Service (QoS) in Calabar as the city of Calabar has been my location throughout the period.

*Globacom Nigeria and Glo Mobile Nigeria as separately used above, is one and same company.

Eta Uso (Jr), Resident in Calabar.