Airtel Kenya Strikes the Market with 2 Shillings Per Minute Across Networks

Competition among Kenyan mobile service providers is set to get high after Airtel Kenya reduced its call rates to a flat of 2 shillings per minute for its prepaid customers across all networks.

This new tariff with a 50 percent saving from current on-net and off-net calls, without any conditions, allows Airtel customers to make calls for much less than other players on the market.

According to Airtel, for all new Airtel customers, the 2bob offering will be a default tariff. Existing customers will simply have to dial *544*2# and opt into the service without any conditions and subscriptions.

Airtel Kenya CEO Prasanta Das Sarma noted that the 2bob rate to all networks is part of the company’s continuous rollout of innovative propositions for Kenyans, making Airtel their preferred mobile communications network. It’s a simple to understand and worry-free tariff.

“We are delighted to be making history by introducing this new unique tariff that gives double the value to the customers as now they can talk twice as much while experiencing unmatched high quality on our network,” he said. 

Introduction of the 2bob tariff reveals the great milestones that have been achieved in the Kenyan telco industry on the journey of seeking to offer customers affordable calling rates. From the early 2000s when calls were charged at per minute billing rates of as high as 50 shillings to the current rates of 4 shillings to newly launched 2 bob/minute are a true testament of the ever growing and changing nature of this industry.

According to the latest statistics report from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), which covers the period between January and March 2018, Airtel Kenya increased its local mobile voice traffic by recording a total of 3.6 billion minutes up from 2.5 billion minutes recorded during the previous quarter. This increase is greatly attributed to the 1.3 million mobile subscriptions gained during the period under review as well as the aggressive marketing of Airtel’s products and services.

The tariff launch follows Airtel Kenya’s ranking as the number one brand preferred by customers in the telecommunication sector due to its competitive prices for both voice and data offerings. The results recently released Net Promoter Score (NPS) measure of customer experience by m-Survey shows Airtel leading its rivals in a vote by customers using various products in the sector.