Nairobi writer on Banking, Finance, Technology, and Investments
Monday, September 11, 2006
SaaSa
As promised, SaaSa is a new offering (tariff) from Safaricom that allows cheaper (by about 50%) phone calls and SMS’s between 5 PM and 8 PM. No idea yet what the company’s new product, promised by year end, that will change our lives.
Could have done better with the pricing outside the cheap 3 or so hours.
I must say i am very happy with the Celtel GPRS facility newly launched. Its awesome to read your emails, send emails, chat, google, read sports news on bbc all on your phone and at incredibly cheap prices.Kudos celtel.
Here's a fascinating case for you from the neighboring Tanzanian market that I my contact there has excitedly been telling me about. The country has 4 mobile phone companies. One of them came up with this strategy of allowing free calls between 11:45 pm and 6 am (depending on how much airtime you have purchased). Instantly they've swept the market. My contact tells me that scratch card retailers have reported that that company's scratch cards moved from the 3rd best seller to the top selling in a matter of weeks after the introduction of this killer marketing strategy.
I'm not sure it would work in Kenya though. I think there are too many issues here. But I wouldn't be surprised if Celtel tried something similar soon, they are the only mobile phone provider with a presence in all 3 East African countries.
Bankelele, you're the best NSE stock analyst that I know. Please keep writing about the NSE, the only guy who is 100% correct all the time is the guy upstairs, don't tell me you are aspiring to be him.
There are also some very extraordinary factors that came into play at the NSE that nobody would have seen coming, like the flooding of investment dollars from Kenyans stationed abroad after the prophets of doom were proved wrong in 2002. That's what has changed everything.
The main reason for having low call rates at wierd hours is twofold.
1. An attempt to decongest the network during prime time.
2. To persuade cash strapped subscribers to use the network.
This offers can also increase market share as more people buy lines to use the network during this happy hours.
Chris, I guess you are talking about Mobitel, now Tigo in Tz. Most pple in urban areas now buy phones for their folks in the village so they can call at midnight.
ncrwcc - Do me a favor, please check out www.vituvingisana.blogspot.com coz I am trying to collate info on the GPRS service from both Safaricom & Celtel...
10 comments:
the tariff sounds nice for 5 -8 but the rest of the hours it's a whooping 35/- to safaricom, 45/- to TKL and 50/- to celtel. What's the point???
Very little sense to me. I'd rather we had a third mobile network.
BTW: What happened to Econet?
Thanks 4 stopping by mine. I don't think you should stop writing about stocks.
Nuff said!
mwasjd: peopel make calls regardless of the tariff. I think the company is trying to move network traffic away from the peculiar 8 PM time period
Sammie: Read the earlier post on Safaricom Success to learn more. Econet is dead in the water.
Well,
Could have done better with the pricing outside the cheap 3 or so hours.
I must say i am very happy with the Celtel GPRS facility newly launched. Its awesome to read your emails, send emails, chat, google, read sports news on bbc all on your phone and at incredibly cheap prices.Kudos celtel.
Here's a fascinating case for you from the neighboring Tanzanian market that I my contact there has excitedly been telling me about. The country has 4 mobile phone companies. One of them came up with this strategy of allowing free calls between 11:45 pm and 6 am (depending on how much airtime you have purchased). Instantly they've swept the market. My contact tells me that scratch card retailers have reported that that company's scratch cards moved from the 3rd best seller to the top selling in a matter of weeks after the introduction of this killer marketing strategy.
I'm not sure it would work in Kenya though. I think there are too many issues here. But I wouldn't be surprised if Celtel tried something similar soon, they are the only mobile phone provider with a presence in all 3 East African countries.
Bankelele, you're the best NSE stock analyst that I know. Please keep writing about the NSE, the only guy who is 100% correct all the time is the guy upstairs, don't tell me you are aspiring to be him.
There are also some very extraordinary factors that came into play at the NSE that nobody would have seen coming, like the flooding of investment dollars from Kenyans stationed abroad after the prophets of doom were proved wrong in 2002. That's what has changed everything.
BTW thanks for stopping by "my place" so many times and leaving all that insightful stuff. Let's see if I can beat you at your own game. LOL!
The main reason for having low call rates at wierd hours is twofold.
1. An attempt to decongest the network during prime time.
2. To persuade cash strapped subscribers to use the network.
This offers can also increase market share as more people buy lines to use the network during this happy hours.
Chris, I guess you are talking about Mobitel, now Tigo in Tz. Most pple in urban areas now buy phones for their folks in the village so they can call at midnight.
ncrwcc - Do me a favor, please check out www.vituvingisana.blogspot.com coz I am trying to collate info on the GPRS service from both Safaricom & Celtel...
Your input will be appreciated!
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