Uganda’s government has sent out a stern warning to telecoms operators who continue to provide poor services to customers saying that they could face harsh punishment.

The country’s minister of Information Communications Technology, Nyombi Thembo, raised the issue stating that the country was still grappling with poor service delivery by some operators who have failed to improve their services despite various reminders.

“Those companies that will not be able to meet our set standards and benchmarks in quality provision will be penalised,” Thembo said.

“Telecoms companies must upgrade their systems and stop enjoying profits alone through making requisite investments equivalent to demand available in the sector,” he said.

Thembo also highlighted the fact that most Ugandans were increasing their uptake of data and video services offered by the respective telcos but felt let down by companies that refuse to upgrade infrastructure.

“Operators should invest massively to ensure that they cope with the latest technology to the satisfaction of the consumers,” Thembo said.

Ugandans are unhappy with the poor service delivery in form of dropped calls, failed connections, fluctuating network and slow data processing, among other problems.

“We shall not enjoy all these innovations when the infrastructure is unstable with many dropped calls, and failed connections which are signs of poor investment. This needs to change to meet the demands of the market,” he added.

The Uganda Communications Commission, which regulates the sector, has previously threatened to punish telecoms firms over poor services.