Telecoms, finance sector key to keeping economy running – Liquid Telecom CEO

BUUMBA CHIMBULU writes TELCOMMUNICATION and financial service providers have a huge responsibility to keep the economy running during and after the Covid-19 pandemic by driving the digital transformation. It is important for telecoms and financial service providers to ensure that their networks and systems were efficient for customers to be able to conduct their businesses, says Mark Townsend, Chief Executive Officer Liquid of Telecom Zambia. Mr Townsend emphasised that businesses were currently conducting their trade on the digital platforms hence the need for efficiency from service providers. He was speaking recently during the Anakazi Online Conversations organised by Stanbic Bank Zambia. “As a business, especially now in the Covid-19 times, we have a huge responsibility, both financial service providers and telecoms because people are relying on us, everything is happening at the digital platform. “From all the financial services providers to the platforms that those services sit on, is happening at that digital lab. We have a great responsibility to keep the economy going and to keep things going to make sure that out networks and our systems are up so that our customers can transact,” Mr Townsend said. He said it was important as an organisation to spend time understanding the customer.  By understanding their needs, Mr Townsend explained, organisations would help to solve their problems. “It is very important that customer experience is provided in a way that is top notch and that is where the focus has to be. We cannot have a situation where the network or the system is down because customers will be unable to transact,” he said. Mr Townsend also observed that internet could be lowered if local content was enhanced. He explained that there were a number of digital solutions which could assist businesses to cut their operation, but instated that this called for affordable internet costs. “Local content is very important because most of the access that we have, most of the service that we hit on the internet sit outside the country such as South Africa, Europe and the United States, some in the Middle East and some in Asia. “The cost of accessing that server is much less than accessing one outside. The more local content you bring, the cheaper we can bring down the cost of internet,” he said. Internet, Mr Townsend said, provided a level playing field regarding marketing. The Sun