NAIROBI, KENYA: Orange has reduced its mobile calling and short message rates starting on Friday.
The new tarrif offer, dubbed Tujuane, reduces off-net calling rates to Sh 3 per minute down from Sh 4 per minute. Orange mobile customers will also enjoy a 50 percent reduction on on-net and off-net SMS rates, down to Sh 1 from Sh 2. The cost of Orange-to-Orange calls remains consistent at Sh. 2 per minute and this includes calls from Orange Mobile to the company’s fixed line network.
Company CEO Mickael Ghossein said the new tariffs are Orange’s response to price elasticity of the market, which significantly influences usage habits of subscribers.
“Our reduced pay as you go tariffs assure our customers of affordable service, whether they need to communicate on our network or to another network,” said Ghossein.
Customers that are currently subscribed to bundled offerings on Orange will still benefit from the new Tujuane tariffs. When not subscribed to a bundle offer, they will automatically roll onto this new pricing plan.
Tujuane, which is valid till May 31, 2013, is available 24-hours at no subscription fee making it attractive to entry level users who, typically, have less disposable income.
As additional value, Tujuane comes with free access to Facebook Zero as well as to Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia.
“The mobile phone is becoming an increasingly vital communications tool. However, calling rates can restrict access for price-conscious consumers. We aim to remain responsive to our consumer needs and expectations,” said Ghossein.
