MTN faced with human rights dilemma

SPARE a thought for mobile operators in emerging markets. Our industry is a double-edged sword.

MTN Group CEO Sifiso Dabengwa. 

 Picture: MARTIN RHODES.

On one hand, mobile connectivity is touted as the lifeblood of socioeconomic development in the underdeveloped world. On the other hand, depending on your geographic location, operators are increasingly labelled pawns and accomplices of repressive regimes wanting to stifle freedom of expression and monitor the movement of their people.

As media organisations, nongovernmental groups and analysts observed, one only has to look at the operation of telecoms companies — including MTN — in countries like Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Yemen to see just how rapidly business opportunities can be eclipsed by political and social upheavals.

The truth is that the cellular network industry is behind a revolution to bring high-speed internet access and next-generation telephony to millions of users who previously had little or no access to even the most basic telecoms services.

Working in partnership with large multinational handset manufacturers and telecoms companies, we are stretching the boundaries of the telecom grid to encompass even the most distant and remote areas, connecting the unconnected, thus becoming a force for good in empowering communities and ushering in life-changing experiences.

However, we know it is difficult to satisfy everybody in democratic countries and perceived pariah states alike. It comes with the territory.

What the critics fail to take into account is the role that technology plays in democratisation, driving economies and connecting communities in some of the world’s most troubled countries.

Access to mobile telephony isn’t just a business issue — it has wider social implications.

By taking advantage of leaps in technological advancements, the mobile industry is enabling access to information, healthcare, education and finance in some of the most underdeveloped parts of the world. We connect people to economic opportunities and accelerate the integration of previously marginalised nations into the mainstream of the global economy.

In their rush to judgment, detractors fail to grasp that mobile telecommunications are not just about offering a service; they enrich lives, connect people and shape the future, whether in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen or Nigeria, and even in the poorer parts of the developed world.

Our industry is also a major player in its own right in the global commercial environment. The GSMA Mobile Economy 2013 report estimates that, in 2012, revenues of mobile operators contributed $1-trillion (about R10-trillion) or 1.4%, to the world’s GDP.

In Africa this impact is even more pronounced. On our continent mobile operators generated 3.1% of GDP and provided millions of jobs.

Globally, the mobile industry is expected to be employing 9.8million people by 2017.

MTN has invested large amounts of money in setting up advanced communications networks to connect our nearly 200million customers. Since 2008, MTN has invested more than $230m in broadband submarine and terrestrial fibre-optic cables (including the ultra-high-capacity West Africa Cable System linking southern and western Africa to Europe), making it one of the largest investors in communication capacity across the continent.

This allows customers to connect to the world and access mobile-health, mobile-agriculture and other m-commerce services, which in turn are helping to close the digital divide and make a positive socioeconomic impact.

The media interest in MTN’s operations in places like Iran, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan is understandable. While the innovation revolution in the ICT sector is breaking down social, economic and community barriers, it is equally true that technology can be used by governments and authorities to restrict basic rights.

Our critics ignore the fact that every telecommunications operator in the world today exists by virtue of terms and conditions of mobile licences granted by regulators. These terms and conditions allow governments to request information from the licence holder.

Before responding to such requests, MTN, like all telecommunications companies who are subject to the terms of their licences and local legislation, assesses their legality and appropriateness, as well as the implications of non-compliance.

While governments can demand that we implement solutions to the risks posed by the use of ICT services and restrict or withdraw our services in some instances, they can at the same time demand that we extend access to telecommunication services.

Failure to comply with either demand has implications for our licence to trade, thus undermining our reason for existence — to deliver a bold new digital world to our customers.

Satisfying the often diametrically opposed demands and requirements of a range of stakeholders is a daily challenge. One of our core values is to respect the human rights — including privacy — of all people in the markets in which we operate. We oppose the abuse of such rights by any party, including governments.

Sure, we acknowledge that we will occasionally experience different challenges, given that we operate across diverse geographical, political, legislative, regulatory, cultural and social contexts. But our intention is to always conduct our business responsibly, ethically and legally, ensuring that in all instances we act to the best of our ability.