Airtel Networks Zambia Plc has announced its plans to introduce a more attractive non-expiry data bundles as one of its goals for the year 2020, a pronouncement made few hours after its arch rival and main competitor MTN Zambia introduced the Non-Expiry Data Bundle on the Zambian market.
MTN Zambia on January 16, 2020, lunched the non-expiry mobile data bundles dubbed freedom bundles, an addition to the existing mobile data bundles to offer its customers more choice and contribute to digital inclusiveness. This followed a similar offering made in their home market of South Africa.
Airtel Zambia confirmed that it is in the process of introducing a non-expiry data bundles offer after conclusive discussions with the regular ZICTA. Airtel Head of Corporate Communications Yuyo Kambikambi told the Zambian Business Times – ZBT that the company has always been the pioneer in bringing affordable and customer centric products to its customers hence will as well ensure this development is introduced not because of what has already been introduced on the market but for the benefit of its customers.
“We were the first to make data bundles affordable and followed through with increasing minutes in our flagship product of So Che, Ikali and we will continue to offer attractive Voice only and Data only bundles at an affordable cost to all our customers,” She said.
Kambikambi added that the company’s mission is to continuously provide a better quality data experience for its customers while bolstering its position as worthy partners in the attainment of the Zambian dream to enhance ICT usage as laid out in Zambia 2030 vision as well as the Seventh National Plan.
A random survey by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT was conducted immediately after the pronouncement by MTN Zambian and customers talked to have welcomed the move despite complaining of the high costs involved in purchasing the newly introduced non expiry bundles.
Some consumers talked to in Lusaka, Kitwe and Ndola, the top three major cities in Zambia lamented that the newly launched freedom bundles by MTN Zambia seem to target the high income individuals and not ordinary Zambians as the costs are not affordable for most subscribers with the cheapest bundle being 1GB going at K160, 1.5GB going at K220 and 5GB going at K410 among others.
The mobile phone network users complainers and called on ZICTA to intervene as the average Zambian will not benefit from some of these products, “ most of us the youths who need digital inclusiveness use below K100 per month, so this is out of reach for the majority” said Chanda Bwalya.
