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Kenya's mobile firm cuts roaming charges in 21 countries

Xinhua, January 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya's largest mobile phone firm Safaricom said on Friday it has slashed roaming charges for subscribers travelling to 21 countries across the world.

Safaricom's CEO Bob Collymore said the company which has more than 22 million subscribers has signed roaming agreements with affiliates of Vodafone -- its majority shareholder in Albania, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and Italy.

"We have aggressively lobbied countries and our partners to ensure our subscribers can enjoy the same reliable communication services they have come to know in Kenya when they travel at significantly reduced rates," Collymore said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Collymore said the creation of a new roaming bundle will enable subscribers to enjoy reduced roaming charges in 21 countries located in North and Central Africa, Europe and New Zealand.

In addition, he said, subscribers travelling to Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates shall enjoy reduced rates for calls made to Kenya.

"Following the signing of a new agreement with Vodafone affiliates, for just 2.2 U.S. dollars, subscribers can access up to 10 minutes of voice services, 10 SMS, and 10MBs of data in 21 countries, providing subscribers with a simple solution for their roaming needs," he said.

Safaricom has also secured the roaming agreements through its affiliates in Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Britain, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, and Mozambique among other countries.

According to Collymore, a subscriber who travels to Egypt will now pay just 2.2 dollars for ten minutes of conversation, down from the previous charges of over 10 dollars.

For subscribers who are travelling to the UAE and roaming on Etisalat, calling rates have come down by 85 percent, while data customers will now pay 1.1 dollars per MB, down from the 11.3 dollars that was charged previously.

The news follows Safaricom's recent announcement of reduction of roaming charges in Rwanda, where costs came down by up to 60 percent.

The company is also pursuing targeted agreements with other countries in the East African bloc such as Uganda and Tanzania. Endi