Ugandan telcos lower mobile Internet tariffs

Ugandan telecoms have reduced the costs of their mobile Internet services by significant margins in an increasingly competitive market.

Zain and Uganda Telecom are among the latest players that have agreed to reduce costs of mobile Internet modems and Internet usage.

According to the country’s daily, The Monitor, Zain Uganda reduced its USB modem price by 76%, to Shs53,000, compared to its competitors, Orange, Warid Telecom and MTN.

The operator also introduced low-cost internet packages, ranging from Shs200 to Shs7, 000.
“Different customers use different amounts of data. We have customers coming into the country and spending a week or two. Making these customers pay for a month is unfair”, said Brandon Ssemanda, Zain’s marketing manager, quoted by the publication.

Monthly charges for Internet access have been lowered to attract more customers. Uganda telecom has slashed prices by 38%, to Shs80,000 from as a high as Shs130,000 two years ago, Zain charges Shs90, 000, MTN and Warid Telecom Shs85,000 respectively and Orange Uganda stil remains the cheapest option at Shs49,000.