SINCE the shutdown of the 2G network in Jamaica, the local organisation for rural women producers has received more than 100 complaints from its members, with challenges ranging from an inability to upgrade handsets due to cost, to lack of support to facilitate the transition.

President of Jamaica Network of Rural Women Producers (JNRWP) Tamisha Lee told the Jamaica Observer that those impacted include single women farmers, many of whom are single mothers, as well as older members and their aged relatives.

“Common concerns include affordability issues, feelings of unfairness, difficulties in using smartphones, and a lack of policies supporting an equitable transition for those in rural areas,” Lee said, adding that some only want to place calls and possibly send a text.

Telecommunications company Flow retired its 2G network in April, and Digicel followed a few months later in August. As a result, customers with only 2G-capable phones — such as those popularly referred to as bangers — now have to replace the devices as they are no longer able to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, or use mobile data.

Months later, many rural women producers are upset.

One of the farmers with whom the Sunday Observer spoke — 53-year-old Pam Robinson — said she purchased a banger phone mere months before the shutdown of the 2G network but has had to set aside the device.

“Dem know seh di phone dem did a go shut down and dem still sell dem same way,” said Robinson who is from New Works in Westmoreland. “Dem coulda stop sell dem deh phone deh because them know dem a go shut down.”

“All now mi nuh have nuh money fi buy nuh phone to replace it,” she added.

Dorothy Stewart, who is a member on JNRWP’S New Works cluster in Westmoreland, also purchased a banger device shortly before the shutdown. She bought the device for her 81-year-old father.

However, after purchasing the handset, it stopped working. She later learnt, while attempting to purchase another banger as a replacement, that it was due to the shutdown of the 2G network.

She told the Sunday Observer that she had been trying to convince her father to accept a more high-end phone that has 3G and 4G capabilities. It was not until after he suffered a stroke while out farming about a month ago that he acquiesced.

“He is a farmer, so when he is at the farm I wanted to be able to monitor him. It is after something went wrong I had to convince him to take [a touch screen] phone because he went to the farm and he dropped down there for a whole day, and nobody couldn’t contact him,” said Stewart.

She said while lying in the bushes, her father heard someone passing by and was able to make a sound to attract their attention.

“I almost lost him because of a phone. He didn’t have a phone so he couldn’t call for help,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lee mentioned that her dad, as an older person, struggles with using a smartphone and is hesitant to learn.

“He represents many seniors who need practical strategies to adapt to this change,” she said.

President of JNRWP’s Munro cluster in St Elizabeth, Opal Jackson said 50 per cent of the women in her cluster have basically had their means of communication cut off.

“Some of them are not in a position to buy a phone,” she told the Sunday Observer. “A lot of them use the banger phone to do their business because they more understand the banger phone as it is just press and answer.”

Now, she explained, customers can no longer call ahead and make orders for pickup or check what produce might be available because these farmers are yet to replace their devices due to financial constraints.

Jackson said, too, that with the shutdown of the 2G network by the two companies taking place just before and during the rainy season, and with farmers being devastated by Hurricane Beryl in July, which was followed by prolonged rains that further impacted their crops, many farmers are still picking up the pieces while others have had to start from scratch, so they are unable to find the funds for new phones that are 3G- and 4G-capable.

Robinson agreed, pointing out that after investing a lot of money to plant yellow squash — paying to have the holes dug, planting and purchasing fertiliser — the storm came and destroyed everything.

“Farmers always deh pon the losing end,” she said.

Both Digicel and Flow informed customers of the impending shutdown of their 2G network, with Flow saying their team is ready to assist customers with the transition in person at its stores, and Digicel urging customers to, “Upgrade yuh banga” while offering smartphone deals. The two said the shutdown of the 2G network is part of continued efforts to improve their respective network.

The JNRWP president has a few suggestions for both telecoms brands.

“We need the companies to explore offering community workshops for basic smartphone usage, simplifying devices for seniors, and perhaps providing accessible resources or one-on-one assistance to ease the learning curve. Provide the phones free to go on the network as the long-term use may recover cost,” said Lee.