they have responded with this press release (fresh off the local ICT grapevine)...
PRESS RELEASE SAFARICOM EXCITES MARKET WITH LOWEST CALL RATES
It is Masaa Time as Firm Launches Value-Based Discounts
August 24, 2010...In a move that is likely to excite the local market, Kenya’s leading telecoms operator Safaricom has today unveiled a new tariff promotion that will see its subscribers call from as low as Sh2 per minute.
The Sh2 a minute charge represents the cheapest calling rate by any operator in the Kenyan market currently.
Under the new scheme called Masaa Tariff, customers will be able to make calls within the network at between Sh2-4, depending on the value of their last top-up. Calls to other operators will cost Sh3-5.
Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh100, Sh250, Sh500 or Sh1,000 will be able to make on-net calls at Sh2 a minute, while the off-net rate for these airtime values will be Sh3. On the other hand, airtime worth Sh5 or Sh10 will attract a discounted flat rate of Sh5 both for calls terminating within and outside the Safaricom network. Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh50 will now pay Sh3 a minute for both on and off-net calls while for the Sh20 denomination, the on-net rate is Sh4, while calls outside the network will cost Sh5 per minute.
Per second billing applies on the Masaa Tariff, which takes effect starting August 24 to September 23 and is primarily targeted at the firm’s Prepay subscribers.
Commenting on the development, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said Masaa Tariff was a way of thanking the firm’s over 16 million subscribers for their loyalty, in light of new rates guidelines announced by the regulator, and would be the first in a series of such moves as the firm marks 10 years as an authentic Kenyan success story this year.
“We thank our customers for enabling us to become a globally-celebrated Kenyan success story in the telecoms world. We shall continue creating true value for our customers by listening to them and coming up with propositions that best answer their needs. We recognize that this has been a great pillar of our leadership,” said Mr Joseph.
He promised all Safaricom subscribers a “bagful of pricing and promotional incentives” going forward it seeks to consolidate its leadership in the Kenyan market, while continuously delighting its growing subscriber base.
About Safaricom...Formed at the turn of the decade, Safaricom has firmly established its credentials as a regional leader, spawning a virtual telecoms revolution in Kenya.
Safaricom is a total telecoms company. With a subscriber base of over 16 million, Safaricom offers all telecoms services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya’s widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WIMAX presence.
For more details please go to:
http://www.safaricom.co.ke/