Safaricom has announced reduction of roaming rates for its subscribers in 21 countries following successful negotiations with its global partners and regional governments.
A new roaming bundle will be created to enable subscribers enjoy relatively lower roaming charges in the countries located in North and Central Africa, Europe and New Zealand.
Safaricom subscribers travelling to United Arab Emirates and Rwanda will enjoy reduced rates for calls made to Kenya. This comes as a reprieve for the subscribers who have been paying handsomely in the last three months following Safaricom’s suspension of the lower international and roaming tariffs between Kenya and Rwanda, following a directive issued by the Rwanda government last October that introduced new levies on international calling and roaming tariffs between the two countries.
“We always place the needs of our customers at the forefront of our business. We have aggressively lobbied countries and our partners to ensure our subscribers can enjoy the same reliable communication services they have come to know in Kenya when they travel at significantly reduced rates,” said Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom.
Following the signing of a new agreement with Vodafone affiliates, for just Sh200, subscribers can access up to 10 minutes of voice services, 10 SMS, and 10MBs of data in 21 countries, providing subscribers with a simple solution for their roaming needs.
Safaricom has secured the roaming agreements through its affiliates in Albania, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Lesotho, and Mozambique among other countries.
The development means that a subscriber who travels to Egypt will now pay just KSh200 for ten minutes of conversation, down from the previous charges of over KSh900. For subscribers who are travelling to the UAE and roaming on Etisalat, calling rates have come down by 85%, while data customers will now pay KSh100 per MB, down from the KSh1,020 that was charged previously.
The news follows Safaricom’s recent announcement of reduction of roaming charges in Rwanda, where costs came down by up to 60%. The company is also pursuing targeted agreements with other countries in the East African bloc such as Uganda and Tanzania.
