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In Senegal, the hashtags #boycottOrangeSn or #boycottonsOrangeSenegal have flourished in recent days on social networks. The French telephone group, the country’s leading operator via its subsidiary Sonatel with more than 50% of the market share, is the target of a protest movement from Senegalese subscribers who call for refusing to use its telephone and monetary services. Some even encourage consumers to cancel their subscription if the prices of certain mobile offers are not revised downwards. “As of this day, I am no longer a subscriber of the operator Orange Senegal”, announced on Twitter Aliou Sané, coordinator of the citizen movement Y’en a marre, posting a photo of his Orange sim card cut in half.
Since July 22, the Orange group has increased the prices of its “Illimix” mobile plans, whether daily, weekly or monthly. For example, one of the most used monthly plans in the country has gone from 4 hours to 5 hours of communication but has seen its price more than double, from 1,900 CFA francs to 4,500 CFA francs (from 2.88 euros to 6.82 euros). “Telephone plans are now often more expensive in Senegal than in France, while services are more limited and our purchasing power is much lower. This is unacceptable, the Internet and the telephone should no longer be a luxury ”, proclaims Mansour Mboup, one of the coordinators of the Orange Subscribers’ Rally (RAO), a movement newly formed by civil society actors.
The change in tariffs is all the more contested since it was decided in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. “People need telecommunications, Orange cannot make decisions that go against consumers. The telecommunications and postal regulatory authority (ARTP) must act ”, indignant Momar Ndao, president of Ascosen, the association of consumers of Senegal. During the last Council of Ministers, Wednesday July 29, Macky Sall asked the ARTP “To pay more attention to the quality of the service delivered by operators to users, as well as to the sustainability of the tariffs applied to consumers”.
“Laborious explanations”
The various consumer associations demand that Orange cancels the change in its prices, and switches to unlimited plans. “If Orange Senegal persists in wanting to impose its new unacceptable rates and out of step with our purchasing power, we call on subscribers to join other operators as soon as the Tabaski ends”, Eid Al-Adha, launches Dame Mbodji, member of the RAO. He reminds that it is easily possible to migrate to another operator while keeping his phone number thanks to portability.
Some dissatisfied consumer associations have been received by Sonatel. “These sessions gave them a better understanding of the evolution of packages “Illimix” », wants to believe Abdou Karim Mbengue, director of communication at Sonatel. In a statement released on July 24, the operator emphasizes that “Mobile Internet prices have fallen by an average of 70%” in four years, in particular thanks to investments to develop the network. In Senegal, 7 million customers, including 2.1 million 4G customers, connect to high and very high speed Internet thanks to the Orange network.
Explanations that did not convince Massokhna Kane, president of SOS Consumers present at this meeting. “They tried to show us that it was not an increase, but an evolution of the tariffs, but their explanations were laborious and indigestible. Above all, we notice that the social tariffs used by the greatest number of consumers no longer exist ”, explains the activist. Another association of “Victims of the net and social networks”, also presents, regrets for its part a lack of consultation. “We have to find a consensus, because Orange has no interest in what consumers turn to”, considers its president Amadou Moustapha Gaye. For the moment, a call for a boycott is maintained for August 7.
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