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Feature: Bundle services make calls, SMSs and internet access cheaper in Kenya

Xinhua, March 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Every morning, Kenyan university student Brian Ayeko checks his mobile phone to find out if 0.11 U. S. dollars has been deducted from his airtime before he starts making calls, sending text messages or browsing the internet.

The third year student at a university in Nairobi has subscribed to a tariff offered by one of the telecoms in Kenya, which allows him to use the services affordably.

He is one of the thousands of Kenyans who are enjoying the subscription services that have made calling, sending text messages (SMSs) and accessing internet an all-time low as telecoms fight to outshine each other.

All the three telecoms in the East African nation namely Safaricom, Orange Kenya and Airtel Kenya, have the subscription services.

Subscribers get up to about 200 minutes of talk time, 120 SMSs and 10MB data from as low as 0.11 dollars a day.

"The bundles are the best thing to have happened in the telecom industry after the introduction of smart phones. With the subscription, my phone expenses have come to about 5.5 dollars a month yet I talk, send messages and use internet more," said Ayeko on Sunday.

Airtel Kenya and Orange Kenya lead the pack in offering the bundle services as they seek to lure more subscribers to their side from market leader Safaricom.

Orange Kenya offers its customers 180 on-net minutes, 100 on- net SMSs, 10 mega byte (MB) of data and 20 SMSs to other networks for just 0.11 dollar a day.

Safaricom, however, despite being the market leader, does not offer its subscribers much. One gets 200 SMSs only for 0.11 dollar a day.

Airtel Kenya, on the other hand, has a tariff dubbed UnliminNet launched a week ago which offers its subscribers up to 1.5 giga byte (GB) of data, among other services, for 5.5 dollars a week.

Subscribers pay from 0.55 dollar to 5.5 dollars to access between 100MB and 1.5GB of data, 20 to 300 voice minutes, 100 to 2, 500 SMSs across all networks for one to seven days.

Those who pay 0.55 dollar a day get 100MB data, 20 voice minutes and 100 SMSs across all networks.

Similarly, subscribers who part with 2.7 dollars get 300MB, 60 voice minutes and 500 SMSs across all networks to use for a week.

Parting with 5.5 dollars earns one 1.5GB data, 300 voice minutes and 2,500 SMSs for a week.

"The internet is an essential part of everyday life. As a user, one wants constant and affordable supply to remain connected to love ones, study and work. We came up with the service to respond to our customers' need," said Airtel Kenya CEO Adil El Youssefi while launching the service last week.

Top beneficiaries of the bundle services are the Kenyan youth who spend hours on the internet.

"With the bundles, the problems I had with accessing the internet are over. I hope the services will last," said George Ndung'u, a 27-year-old graphic designer.

Analysts note the bundle services are the game changer that Kenyans need to enjoy using their mobile phones.

"With the services, subscribers are the biggest beneficiaries. The offers are in line with the assertion that mobile phone use is a basic right," said Bernard Mwaso of Edell IT Solutions in Nairobi. Endi