Safaricom lowers Internet service rates

By Patrick Githinji

From today, Safaricom subscribers can enjoy more affordable Internet services following a price reduction that passes benefits of improved business and regulatory environment to its customers.

The reduction has been effected by increasing the data volume for every bundle by up to 150 per cent for the same value. A subscriber who pays Sh999 for 600 MB of data will now get 1500 MB, indicating double increase in data volumes.

The move to lower the data access rates follows a meeting between industry players and Government, which was held to discuss how best to implement the presidential directive calling for a review of Internet pricing. President Kibaki made the directive two weeks ago when he launched the Government open data website (www.opendata.go.ke). The site aims to boost transparency in governance and empowering citizens with relevant information.

Feasibility

It further follows commitments made by the industry regulator, Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) and the Ministry of Information and Communication to lower spectrum fees and review the overall spectrum policy for industry players.

According to the new prices, heavy data users will also have the option to subscribe to either a weekly tariff for Sh1,000 or a monthly tariff for Sh3,000. This allows them to manage their data spend and access internet without worrying about their usage.

While announcing the reductions, Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said the move was in line with the Safaricom 2.0 culture, which puts customer needs at the centre of all the firm’s actions.

"We are continuously reviewing our value proposition to ensure that our customers enjoy unrivalled communication services at affordable rates," he said.