Guys,my take is this: Its a simple supply-demand kind of model. In more densely populated areas they will charge more since the BTS are loaded with SMS/Voice traffic. Now we all know that densely populated = lower income (Kibera,Mathare,Uthiru)....so essentially they will charge the poor more since the ARPU from poor people is really low . Now if you are Mr Bana Kubwasana sitting in your verdant gazebo somewhere in Kyuna,and your neighbour is at least half an acre away,and the other one acre away,the BTS in that area will have less traffic and you all will enjoy lower rates (pls bear in mind they AUTOMATICALLY migrated all POST PAID subscribers i.e. High Net Worth Individuals - ok,the jury is still out as to whether they alone are HNW vis a vis a prepaid person who uses above 20k pm).
The reasoning I suspect goes like,it cost us Kshs 10 million to erect one BTS in Kangemi (and xxx million to run it) and all you give us,even in your thousands,is on average Kshs 300 each - as opposed to the BTS in Muthaiga which cost the same to build and run,yet the handful of residents give us Kshs 30,000 each per month....so while they do not overload the network,they do offer good returns.
So,the more the traffic,the higher the cost. Now I think being in the city centre and other suburbs that are dense during the day but sparse at night,will have the same effect - if you work in the CBD,be sure you will pay more. However,if you are out at night in the CBD sucking brown bottles,you will pay less.
So its going to be supply and demand based - no peak and off peak - that model cannot work anymore esp since off peak for voice is really when its peak for data (when people get home to surf,work,etc).....ANOTHER example is how KPLC structures its bills - from 0 to 200kwh it costs abt 3.75 per kwh,from 200-500 I think it jumps to Kshs 7 per kwh and over 500....even more (thats why KAM keep b****ing abt elect costs)
my two pfennigs
The problem with equality is that we desire that it be with those that have more than us rather that those that have less