Happy Sunday!

Thank you for sharing this exciting news.

This is very very exciting news - for the service provider!
It brings very little belated joy to the already and continuously "wounded" consumer.


The only thing that has been made easier is how the consumer tops up i.e gives the service provider more money.
All in all, the service provider is the one in control of the consumer billing.

When you buy 1kg of meat, the weigh scale is in your eyes. How does a consumer measure "airtime" or "data bundle time"?- especially when here and there the modem connects yet one cannot access the internet! Why is such a feature not in the hands of the person paying - the consumer!

I am perturbed that the said access to the zero-rated bundles page requires the Consumer to terminate applications and have at least 10cents. Yet again a solution in the interest of the Service Provider? Whether Sh.1 or 10cents this is still the consumers money.

In the communities we are in, the internet is still a myth. Smartphones are a myth and a mystery; thus cannot be the hedge for  internet access or support services to the masses! Not to mention that the cost of the internet is still prohibitive (1.5Gb internet bundle from Safaricom @ 1000ksh ~$12 is rent for one month plus a few family basics).

Where this Consumer game was lost even further was in/about the AGM time when the CEO said something to mean that...they could deliver high dividends if they were allowed to charge for services at the price they chose. With such a frame of mind, the market dynamics of free market, innovation and consumer-centric focus went through the window!

Is there any hope through the Regulator (Government/agencies) on this matter? Who is one of the highest tax contributors in the country? Who is a major shareholder?

Could the Consumer Federations be of value here? Past record and time will tell.

Safaricom and many other providers had better be doing more than watching the happenings to other BIG players locally and internationally such as Barclays, Coca-Cola, GSK and many more who are experiencing consumer and in turn regulatory authority backlash.

As providers of a crucial and vital service to the national economy, consumers expect much more respect and less cynicism while doing business with them.

While Safaricom may be receiving the "heat" on this matter, as with any customer-centric organisation, Safaricom should be know that at the back of it all, consumers maybe wish to continue doing business with you.

However, just some more bullish pressure and the camel's back will be broken!

Certainly not the position we wish for our nation. As a Nation, We have so much to gain through the Telecomms as we keep our eyes towards Vision 2030!

Have a pleasant day.

Regards/Wangari


---
Pray God Bless. 2012Wangari circa - "Heaven moves into the world through thespirit of those who are willing to serve".


Safaricom implements changes to data policy in Kenya

As part of a change to its data policy in Kenya, mobile service provider Safaricom has made it easier for users to load data bundles and use the bundles for a longer period. The service provider decided to implement the changes after customers raised concerns over the short expiry period and the fact that data does not carry over from month-to-month.

Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore (image: Safaricom)

“Following an internal review and in an effort to continuously enhance customer experience, we have made some changes to the policy. In that regard, data bundles between seven days and 90 days validity are rolled over when a subscriber tops up before the expiry of the bundle,” Safaricom explained in a statement.

Safaricom also informed users that they will still be able to buy data bundles through direct scratch card top-up, visiting the Safaricom bundles webpage from a smarthphone or texting an additional number to buy data bundles.

“In addition, you can also send the bundle price to 544 to successfully purchase a bundle.” This comes after Kenyan users could only text 450 with the bundle price to top-up.

The company also decided to make the Safaricom bundle webpage zero-rated, meaning that users will be able to access the page even if they do not have bundles available – but will have to disconnect from other webpages first.

“The www.safaricom.com/bundles page is zero-rated, but before you can open the bundles top-up page, your session will be terminated because any one of the background connections attempted to browse to a billed URL.”

However, due to the fact that many smartphones have applications running in the background, users will need to have at least a small amount of data available.

“This therefore means that a subscriber will be required to have at least 10 Kenya cents before they can open the page. We appreciate that this is not an optimal function, and we are working on a solution to optimize access to the top up page, as well as overall customer experience.”

Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor



--- On Sat, 21/7/12, Ali Hussein <ali@hussein.me.ke> wrote:

From: Ali Hussein <ali@hussein.me.ke>
Subject: Re: [ISOC_KE] isoc Digest, Vol 13, Issue 31
To: "Charles Oloo" <oloo6382@gmail.com>
Cc: "isoc@lists.my.co.ke" <isoc@lists.my.co.ke>
Date: Saturday, 21 July, 2012, 21:27

That's the thing. We can't. Though I believe there are online tools to help in doing this. However issue is whether there is recourse at the provider side.

I understand however that Safaricom had just made changes in its data bundle policy.


On Jul 21, 2012, at 7:55 PM, Charles Oloo <oloo6382@gmail.com> wrote:

@ Hussein
Infact this issue of bandwidth bundle came up at the recent EAIGF. BUt the operators was absent though ITRs were being discussed.  How do we ascertain that we use the exact airtimet/bundle that we buy / subscribe for?

Charles




On Sat, Jul 21, 2012 at 12:00 PM, <isoc-request@orion.my.co.ke> wrote:
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Today's Topics:

   1. Re:  EAIGF Final Programme July 17-18, 2012 (McTim)
   2.  How Safaricom Steals Your Internet Bundle (Grace Githaiga)
   3. Re:  How Safaricom Steals Your Internet Bundle (Ali Hussein)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:43:18 -0400
From: McTim <dogwallah@gmail.com>
To: Daniel Otieno Omondi <dottocomp@yahoo.com>
Cc: "kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>,
        "isoc@lists.my.co.ke" <isoc@lists.my.co.ke>
Subject: Re: [ISOC_KE] EAIGF Final Programme July 17-18, 2012
Message-ID:
        <CACAaNxg7YRQTCcZZOeF=p+G++ahVAnpEmpCdfuZs-U3CcJnQWg@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 4:19 AM, Daniel Otieno Omondi
<dottocomp@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Grace and listers,
>  that was a well organized programme and now to move on we need to give the
> ATU and ITU greater influence over internet governance



I could be wrong but I think the global ISOC position is that we do
NOT want the ITU to have a more significant role in IG


 as well as major
> Telecoms issues such as accounting rates and termination charges for the
> next generation networks,data,privancy,cybersecurity,international mobile
> roaming and equipment specifications.

They already are the folks who decide about the above.  The danger is that they
will decide that double monetization is ok (even required), so
yahoo/Google/Facebook/$content providers
will have to pay to use the pipes that we as subscribers have already paid for!!

--
Cheers,

McTim
"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A
route indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel


------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:29:24 +0000
From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com>
To: "kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>,
        <isoc@orion.my.co.ke>
Subject: [ISOC_KE] How Safaricom Steals Your Internet Bundle
Message-ID: <BAY151-W409A72C84120B63D7B2C22B4D80@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"



99% of Kenya?s 6.5m internet users access it via mobile, of which Safaricom owns 77% marketshare.In Kenya, when you buy a 1.5Gb internet bundle from Safaricom you pay 1000ksh (~$12). You?ve paid for the data, and there is no additional cost to Safaricom if you were to use that data today or a year from now. The whole concept of data bundle expiry is ridiculous, as noted by Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore when he visited the iHub:?When you go into a petrol station and fill up your car, does the owner of the petrol station tell you to bring it back on Wednesday to take back what?s left in the vehicle? Of course not. So I ask, why the hell are we doing that??
Read onhttp://whiteafrican.com/2012/07/18/how-safaricom-steals-your-internet-bundle/

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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:38:10 +0300
From: Ali Hussein <ali@hussein.me.ke>
To: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com>
Cc: "kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>,
        isoc@lists.my.co.ke
Subject: Re: [ISOC_KE] How Safaricom Steals Your Internet Bundle
Message-ID:
        <CAPjmBy0B5Cn5OFC=S9YFTz06hxStgdOwX0fzPv+WiOReCBpebA@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

Grace

The question is: What is the regulator doing about this?

Ali Hussein

On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 11:29 PM, Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> 99% of Kenya?s 6.5m <http://cck.go.ke/news/2012/Mobile_Subscribers.html> internet
> users access it via mobile, of which Safaricom owns 77% marketshare.
>
> In Kenya, when you buy a 1.5Gb internet bundle from Safaricom you pay
> 1000ksh (~$12). You?ve paid for the data, and there is no additional cost
> to Safaricom if you were to use that data today or a year from now. The
> whole concept of data bundle expiry is ridiculous, as noted by Safaricom
> CEO Bob Collymore when he visited the iHub:
>
> ?When you go into a petrol station and fill up your car, does the owner of
> the petrol station tell you to bring it back on Wednesday to take back
> what?s left in the vehicle? Of course not. So I ask, why the hell are we
> doing that??
>
>
> Read on
>
> http://whiteafrican.com/2012/07/18/how-safaricom-steals-your-internet-bundle/
>
> _______________________________________________
> isoc mailing list
> isoc@orion.my.co.ke
> http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/isoc
>
>


--

*Ali Hussein|Managing Partner*

*
*Telemedia Africa
Azania Technology Group

Chaka Court, Argwings Kodhek Road

P O Box  14556-00100

Office: +254 737 751409

Cell:     +254 773/713 601113

*Nairobi, Kenya*





Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo


"You generally hear that what a man doesn't know doesn't hurt him, but in
business what a man doesn't know does hurt.". - E. St. Elmo Lewis, member,
Advertising Hall of Fame
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