Safaricom To Unveil New Data That Lets You Choose Your Speed

Safaricom on Friday announced improvement of data experience for customers and will in the next few months announce new data packages in line with their needs.

The company will unveil ways of enabling customers to manage their data usage by choosing their preferred internet speeds while browsing as a way of addressing the data issue.

According to the Chief Executive, Bob Collymore, Safaricom has received numerous complaints from customers about the quick depletion of data bundles giving them a bad experience while browsing.

“My commitment to our customers going forward is that we will deliver a more transparent and user-friendly data experience,” he said.

With over 4,600 network sites across the country and 86 percent of the Kenyan population covered with a 3G network, Safaricom continues to improve mobile penetration which currently stands at 88.7 percent.

In the Year Ended 31st March 2018, there was a 29 percent drop in the effective price of data coupled with scaled up access with a Fibre Optic Footprint of 4,700 km countrywide accessing more than 141,000 households.

The proposed data package strategy will be accompanied by customer notifications of any abnormal spikes in data usage that often occur because of the auto updates of apps and software, streaming and archiving of multimedia content. The best part is that Safaricom will reimburse customer’s data bundle in cases where this fails and a customer’s data is depleted unexpectedly,

Moreover, Safaricom will be exploring the use of finger and facial recognition to further complement voice biometrics in a bid to curb SIM fraud. Mobile money transactions will be suspended for some time following a SIM Swap, to prevent fraudsters from accessing customer funds held in M-PESA accounts.

“SIM fraud has been a huge pain point for our customers and we have taken these concerns very seriously. Our customers remain at the center of everything that we do and in the next couple of months, we will put in place measures that will help us address this issue as we also work closely with DCI and the police,” said Collymore.

The announcements were made during the 10th Annual General Meeting held on Friday 31^st at Bomas of Kenya. Shareholders voted to approve the Directors’ Remuneration Policy contained in the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the year ended 31st March 2018.