Airtel Kenya welcomes CA’s move to review interconnection rates, introduces new rates and call minutes

Airtel Kenya has lauded the decision by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to further reduce Mobile Termination Rates (MTR) from Kshs 0.58 per minute to Kshs 0.41 per minute, effective from March 1, 2024.

The proactive move taken by the CA in exercising its statutory mandate under the Kenya Information and Communications Act reflects a commitment to fostering affordable communication and seamless connectivity for the benefit of all Kenyan consumers.

(TOP: From left to right – Airtel Kenya Marketing Director Prisca Murigu and the telco’s MD Ashish Malhotra during the announcement of reduced ‘Tubonge’ rates following the reduction of Mobile Termination Rates).

Ashish Malhotra, the MD of Airtel Kenya, commented: “We welcome and endorse the reduction of the Mobile Termination Rates, and as a result I am happy to announce reduction in the price points of Weekly and monthly Voice bundles. With this reduction, the bundles not only become more affordable but also brings in the convenience of having to buy one bundle for a longer duration where customers can Talk/Text bila worries to any Network.”

He further added: “In line with our commitment to enhancing communication accessibility, Airtel is actively expanding its network to enhance capacity, coverage, and quality. From Dec 2023 till now, we have deployed over 300 new sites, bringing our total tally of sites across the country to over 3700. This expansion underscores our dedication to providing superior services to our customers.”

“Historically, high termination rates have presented challenges for service providers in delivering flexible and affordable call rates across networks. Therefore, we hope that MTRs will continue to decrease for the utmost benefit of consumers,” Malhotra said.

With the revised MTR and network expansion, Airtel has revamped its Tubonge AllNet and Tubonge On Net plans. The pricing of their Weekly and Monthly Tubonge plans has been reduced, and SMS has been introduced as part of the packages to enable customers to talk and text more for less.

Commenting on the new plans, Prisca Murigu, Marketing Director of Airtel Kenya, said “We are delighted to introduce Airtel’s revamped Tubonge AllNet and Tubonge On Net plans, designed to deliver more affordability, flexibility and value to our customers in light of the reduced MTRs. Our weekly Tubonge AllNet bundle is now Kshs 80 for 100 minutes and 100 SMS across networks, while the monthly bundle is Kshs 250 for 300 minutes and 300 SMS. For Tubonge On Net, the weekly bundle is Kshs 50 for 100 daily minutes and SMS, and the monthly is Kshs 150 for 100 daily minutes and SMS”.

See below breakdown of plans:

New Tubonge AllNet plans:

(The Tubonge AllNet Plans also come with Free Airtel to Airtel calls, with a fair usage policy of 50 minutes per day. The PAYG rates for customers not using a bundle shall be Kshs 2.2 (plus taxes) per minute).

New Tubonge On Net plans:

(The PAYG rates for customers not using a bundle shall be Kshs 2.2 plus taxes per minute).