Zambia’s mobile phone companies have survived a push by internet users in the country to stop them from imposing expiry dates on internet bundles.
Austin Mwange, one of the petitioners, said internet users are being exploited by operators because the bundles expire even when a subscriber has not used them in a period of 30 days.
Subsequently, several internet users in the country had asked the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) for protection from the operators that are imposing expiry dates on internet bundles claiming it was exploitation.
Internet users petitioned CCPC to compel MTN, Airtel and Zamtel to stop imposing expiry dates on internet bundles as they alleged the practice amounts to theft and fraud.
But the CCPC has ruled that internet bundles, like any other products, are a creation that should have a capping period after which a person either cannot be able to access the internet or have internet speed significantly reduced.
In its ruling, the CCPC said it is an industry practice around the world to have an expiry date and capping period on internet bundles.
“This is an industry practice around the world and we advise that to avoid such losses, consumers should be able to purchase bundles that they are capable of using at that particular time. If one buys a larger bundle when they are an average internet user, they are bound to lose out,” CCPC said in its ruling.
However, CCPC ruled that in situations where the internet service is poor, or there is no connectivity for a considerable period of time and a consumer is denied the enjoyment of the bundles before they expire, then the consumer can challenge the service provider to extend the expiry date.
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