Telkom Kenya mobile pre-paid subscribers can now enjoy favourable roaming voice and SMS rates following the introduction of the Mashariki bundle.
This is in response to the East African Community’s goal to lower the cost of roaming charges in the region in relation to the One Network Area initiative. The initiative envisages the reduction of International and roaming tariffs reduced to lower costs of doing business as well as deepening social integration in East Africa.
“We want our customers to enjoy uninterrupted service on their travels in either of the three countries (Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan). Poor network infrastructure has been the reason for high rates but Mashariki gives subscribers a chance to circumvent that,” says Company Chief Corporate Communications officer, George Mlaghui.
For every KSh 1000 used, a customer gets 70 minutes with 120 SMSs (or upto 130 minutes upon conversion of SMSs to minutes or up to 260 SMSs upon conversion of minutes to SMSs). For every KSh 500 used, a customer gets 30 minutes with 70 SMSs (or up to 65 minutes upon conversion of SMSs to minutes or upto 130 SMSs upon conversion of minutes to SMSs).
Customers will be able to convert their unused minutes into text messages and vice versa whenever a customer exhausts either of the two as mentioned.
Orange customers can subscribe by dialing *123# via the Orange menu on their mobile phone and select option 1 for voice and SMS bundles then menu 5 for roaming bundles.
The bundle applies to pre-paid Orange Kenya customers while roaming in Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan and for traffic destined only within the visited country. The bundle will be valid for 14 days from the date of purchase, after which a customer will forfeit any unutilised minutes or SMSs.
According to the Communications Authority of Kenya Q4 2014-15, roaming traffic within EAC countries contributed to 23.3 million minutes and 4.8 million messages.
