Residents of Balkh province have voiced growing complaints over rising prices and deteriorating quality of telecommunications services. They say telecom companies have hiked the cost of internet, call, and SMS packages in recent months, while simultaneously reducing the volume and features those packages offer. The situation, residents say, has created serious difficulties for users, particularly young people, students, and those whose daily lives depend on internet access and telecom services.
Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, residents said the lack of meaningful oversight over telecom companies has allowed prices to climb while service quality has fallen. They believe companies are prioritizing profit over providing reliable services, and argue that without transparency, fair competition, and rigorous regulation, the sector will never meet an acceptable standard.
Ahmad (pseudonym), a Balkh resident, said his concern has grown sharply over the recent price hikes. He noted that companies have not only raised prices but have stripped packages of services and features that users once took for granted. In his view, companies are focused entirely on extracting revenue rather than satisfying customers.
“As you know, these packages never used to cost this much,” Ahmad said. “They were affordable. But in just the past month, nearly every telecom network has either raised prices or reduced what you get. Service quality has collapsed. People in Afghanistan are getting poorer by the day, and instead of standing by them, telecom companies are squeezing them for every afghani they can.”
Mukhtar (pseudonym), another Balkh resident, confirmed the same pattern, noting that companies have raised prices while cutting back on services. He said a package that once offered 600 minutes of calls per month for 135 Afghanis has since been reduced to 525 minutes at the same price. Many packages that previously offered unlimited calls and SMS, he added, have now been capped.
“Packages that used to offer unlimited calls and messages were first capped at 1,200 minutes, and now they’ve been cut to 250,” Mukhtar said. “The 75-Afghani package, which once included unlimited calls and texts, now gives you just 300 minutes. And this isn’t only a Roshan problem. Etisalat and others are doing the same thing. Instead of lowering prices, companies keep pushing them higher.”
Ali (pseudonym), a third Balkh resident, said the price increases, compounded by a 10 percent tax, have added to the financial strain on ordinary people. He described the hikes as unacceptable given current economic conditions and warned that if the trend continues, telecom companies risk losing public trust altogether.
“Prices have risen sharply in recent months,” Ali said. “A package that used to give you 60 minutes of calls for 10 Afghanis now costs between 18 and 25 Afghanis. Some packages that offered 100 minutes of calls have been cut to 65. People’s economic situation is getting harder, and instead of easing the burden, telecom companies are making it worse.”
According to information obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, telecom companies have made sweeping changes to their call and SMS packages in recent months. On the Roshan network, a package that once provided 2,000 minutes of calls has been cut to 800. The 60-minute package has more than doubled in price, rising from 10 to 18 Afghanis, and the unlimited SMS package has jumped from 75 to 300 Afghanis.
On the ATOMA Network, the 1,100-minute package has been reduced to 800 minutes, the 2,000-minute package to 1,200 minutes, and unlimited packages have been capped at 300 minutes. Etisalat has made similar changes to its call and SMS offerings.
Throughout this period, telecom users across Afghanistan have repeatedly complained about higher costs and worsening service. Neither the telecom companies nor the relevant regulatory bodies have offered any public explanation.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
باشندهگان بلخ: شرکتهای مخابراتی بهای بستهها را افزایش و خدمات را کاهش دادهاند
