101 civil society organizations in South Sudan on Monday petitioned the government over what they described as inefficiencies of the telecom companies in the country.

Rajab Mohandis, a civil society representative, said the petition was to draw the information ministry’s attention to the poor mobile telephone networks that citizens experience in South Sudan.

“They [civil society organizations] have requested the ministry to take appropriate actions towards addressing concerns of the public regarding the matter,” Rajab told reporters in the capital, Juba.

“In most cases, you call numbers that are active and you get an automated response saying this number does not exist,” he added.

Rajab said last year’s closure of Vivacell, a major player in the telecom industry, has “put pressure” on the two existing operators.

In March last year, South Sudan’s National Communication Authority (NCA) suspended the operations of Vivacell, one of the largest telecommunication companies in the country, following tax disputes.

Meanwhile, the acting undersecretary in the information ministry, Elijah Bior Ayuen acknowledged receiving the civil society’s petition.

“We acknowledge their concerns, but we have referred them to the rightful body. Any complaint regarding poor services, they are the ones to follow up on the matter,” the official told reporters on Monday.

He added, “So this complaint of the people will be referred to them either to internet service providers or mobile service operators”.

Apart from Vivacell, South Sudan has two mobile phone operators, MTN and Zain, with an estimated 4 million subscribers.