As of March 2009 the average regional tariffs were noted as follows: South Africa’s MTN was charging 37 cents a unit while Botswana’s Mascom charged 23 cents. Kenya’s Celtel was charging 39 cents, Celtel (Zambia) 22 cents, Vodacom of Mozambique 28 cents, Lesotho’s Vodacom 38 cents and Swaziland 29 cents.

The reduction of the charges backdates all bills sent to customers between February 2009 and June 2009. He also appealed to TelOne customers to settle their bills by the end of October 2009 to avoid being disconnected thereafter.

According to Chamisa, the move to reduce the bills in retrospect was to allow disgruntled customers of the country’s sole fixed telephone service provider to pay realistic charges while allowing the parastatal to also remain viable. He said his ministry had in the past months been inundated with complaints from customers who felt their bills were too exorbitant.

“From February 2009 to end of June 2009, the tariff is going to be 5 cents per minute. The tariff was 10 cents, which constituted 30 cents per unit (of three minutes). The bills are going to be revised downwards across the board to make sure that we allow people to pay for realistic bills”,  said Chamisa

Chamisa said this was consistent with the new scientific method of charging for telephone services following the turbulent period last year where prices were rising daily due to hyperinflation.

Reagan Malumo
Programme Officer: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht St
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Mobile: +264 81 311 2626
E mail: reagan@misa.org

Back