Some mobile phone users on Saturday expressed satisfaction with the ban on sales promotions by telecommunication networks in the country, saying it would enhance quality service.
The stakeholders made the commendation in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Lagos, saying the ban might lead to improved services.
NAN recalls that the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC) had on Tuesday announced a ban on the promos, stating that it served as a huge service disruption.
The Public Affairs Director of NCC, Mr Tony Ojobo, had said that the ban covered all proposed and approved promotions and lotteries,
The approvals were given based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into with the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
Ojobo said that the commission had been inundated with complaints from consumers, industry watchers and stakeholders, against the various promotions offered by telecommunications operators.
The networks affected are MTN, Globacom, Etisalat, Airtel, Visafone and Multi-links.
Mr Destiny Obinna, a business centre operator, told NAN that the promos had only succeeded in making call connectivity difficult.
He said that since the inception of some of the promotions, it had been difficult for subscribers to make calls easily.
He explained that most of promotions required the user to spend a certain amount of call credit within a specified time to enjoy additional airtime.
He said that it was painful to see his customers not being able to dial through a network successfully.
Obinna also said that the promotions had robbed him of numerous customers, who now preferred to use the available benefits provided.
Another business centre operator, Mr Mike Aboderin, said that he was glad that the promotions were stopped.
Aboderin said that although the telecom operators provided greater benefits if consumers utilised a stipulated amount of credit required, the outcome of such benefits resulted in huge service disruptions.
He said that calls from one network to another became increasingly difficult and caused frustration to mobile phone users, some of whom might be eager to make emergency calls.
He lauded the ban and urged all telecom service providers to enhance their services for the benefit of their customers.
?Mr Lawal Adejumo, a phone user, said that he had silently wished the promotions never existed, since in the long run, his calls were either constantly interrupted or difficult to get through.
Adejumo said that sometimes after utilising the so-called sum stipulated, he was still not credited with the promotional credits.
He said that the promo had only made phone users to spend more money on call credits daily, while in the end the network fluctuated and frustrated the user.
He urged telecom providers to engage in a more healthy and productive competition, such as enhancing the quality of services for consumers, instead of giving out promotional offers.