The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
This comes two months since MTN Uganda revamped its no expiry data bundle dubbed MTN Freedom Bundles
Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | India’s Bharti Airtel subsidiary in Uganda has followed MTN’s footstep to unveil internet bundles with no expiry dates, enabling customers to browse with flexibility and comfort.
Amit Kapur, Chief Commercial Officer at Airtel Uganda, said the new product dubbed Chillax Bundles is meant to offer customers more options to enjoy the internet services.
The Chillax Bundles costs Shs 7,500 for a 1.5GB, Shs 25,000 for 7GB and Shs100, 000 for a 40 GB of data. This is almost the same price that MTN Uganda charges its customers for similar packages.
MTN Uganda unveiled the MTN Freedom Bundles in February this year in response to a legal suit filed in the neighbouring Kenya over expiry of internet and voice bundles.
Adrian Kamotho, a lawyer and Information and Communication Technology practitioner, filed a case in court demanding that the Communications and Multimedia Appeals Tribunal stops Safaricom and Airtel from irregularly depriving consumers of their unused data bundles two years ago.
This triggered Safaricom and others to immediately unveil new internet bundles with no expiry dates, a move that other telecoms in the region have fast embraced.
Last month, the Tanzanian government suspended the telecom’s new data bundles’ prices in response to complaints from the customers. The country’s telecom firm had increased the prices for internet, voice and SMS bundles, on the pretext of aligning with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority’s new regulations, which among others included no expiry of voice, data and SMS bundles. Similarly, in Ghana, the government banned expiry of voice and data bundles in 2019.
Kapur said the increment in the uptake of smartphones as indicated in the Uganda Communications Commission 2020, 4th Quarter Market Performance Report should be matched with affordable and durable data thus enabling their customers to connect with the world endlessly.
“In the end, our goal is to drive digital inclusion in Uganda through innovation, “he added. The country’s telecom industry has in the recent recorded a surge in the number of active internet subscriptions to 21.4 million, translating into an internet access reach of more than 1 active connection for every 2 Ugandans.
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