MTN Uganda and Airtel Uganda were officially pressed by government ministers and the Uganda Communications Commission to address widespread consumer complaints regarding unexplained data depletion, unstable network connectivity, dropped calls, and high communication costs.
The meeting was convened by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, alongside State Minister for Trade, Hon. Wilson Mbadi, and officials from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
Held at the Ministry’s boardroom along Parliamentary Avenue in Kampala, officials put the giant multinational companies to explain the rapid and unexplained data depletion on customers phones , unstable network signals and frequent dropped calls. and high pricing of communication and data services compared to other markets say in north and south Africa .
Other concerns raised during the meeting involving Mobile Money (MoMo) and agent services.
At the meeting MTN and Airtel managers committed to submit a comprehensive, detailed report addressing the consumer grievances to the government within two weeks of the meeting.
Airtel Uganda Managing Director Soumendra Sahu defended the network’s data handling, stating that rapid data depletion is often a misconception driven by faster 5G networks triggering auto-HD video streaming, high-resolution media, and background
Else Where On The African Continet MTN faces Class Actions
Elsewhere on the continent spirited lawyers have instituted major public interest litigation and court actions against MTN Nigeria involve subscriber privacy violations, service quality complaints, and consumer protection battles
Class Action at Sagamu High Court has since been filed by law firm Pekun Sowole & Co. on behalf of IT consultant Fatokunboh Fagun, former Senator Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi, and affected MTN subscribers. The ₦550 billion class action accuses MTN of persistently poor service and breaches of subscriber data privacy.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja ordered MTN to pay ₦15 million in general damages to Ezugwu Anene for violating the right to privacy (Section 37 of the Nigerian Constitution) and consumer protection codes through unsolicited text messages, calls, caller tunes, and unauthorized airtime deductions despite active “Do Not Disturb” settings.
