Nairobi
Kenyans will next month start paying more to ocal calls over fixed telephone lines.
Telkom Kenya yesterday announced that it plans to increase by price of local calls by up to 6 percent.
The highest increment will affect those with private lines, whose tariffs have been adjusted by 16 per cent from Sh7.40 to Sh8.60 for three minutes.
Public Payphone (booths) users will pay an extra 14 per cent when the new price of Sh8 per three minute comes into effect. Previous they paid Sh7. The company also increased the price of local calls using prepaid and calling cards, which are billed per second. Consequently, prepaid customers will now pay 11 cents more, reflecting the Sh0.50 price up from Sh0.39. Telkom also announced that its calling card customers would pay an adjusted price of Sh0.33 per second, up from Sh0.29 per second. While making the announcement at the Teleposta Towers, Telkom Kenya Managing Director, John Waweru said it was the last time the company was increasing its local area call charges. «Our rates are now cost based this is the end of story (increasing charges) unless something drastic happens to the shilling,» said Waweru. Waweru was accompanied by among others: Engineer John K. Mosonik in charge of Operations and Joseph Ogutu, General Manager and personal Assistant to the MD. Tariff changes involving calls to mobile phones remain the same. Ogutu said the local calls provide 60 per cent of the company’s phone revenues. Telkom also reduced the price of trunk calls within the East African region as well as out of the region. National trunk calls were reduced by 31 per cent from Sh17.40 to Sh12 per minute, peak hour tariffs within the region went down to Sh40 from Sh45, reflecting a reduction of11 per cent. Similarly, peak rate international calls to any destination in the world were reduced to Sh72 (US$0.90 cents). «The new tariffs have been harmonized alongside those of other leading telecommunication companies on the continent with a view to remaining competitive,» said Waweru. He said that the price changes are part of the firm’s competitive strategy, which will soon have a competitor following an end to its monopoly in June 30, 2004. He also announced that Telkom will transfer from an analogue to digital exchange at a cost of Sh80 million (US$1 million). He said money for modernizing the exchange lines is available. Waweru said that various tenders had been advertised that will involve works to enhance the capacity of various exchanges and installing 49,000 lines in Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri. By December 2004, Telkom Kenya is expected to offer a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoiP) facility. The facility provides a much cheaper method of voice communication through the Internet.