Safaricom cuts international roaming costs

Telecom operator has signed an agreement with over 200 global operators that will allow it to slash roaming charges for both voice and data.

Through the deal signed in over 52 countries, Safaricom customers will be able to browse the internet at Sh14 per MB while calling charges are expected to drop significantly.

The move comes even as the number of incoming and outgoing international calls has been dropping.

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said subscribers will be able to check applicable rates for country they wish to travel and the preferred roaming charges.

“Our new roaming rates progress our deliberate strategy to continuously invest in optimizing our customers’ experience in order to provide the best experience on our network,” Mr Collymore said.

In China for instance, Safaricom subscribers roaming on China Mobile will be charged Sh50 per minute to call Kenya and as little as Sh10  a minute to make calls within China.

Calling rates within the region have also dropped following a move by the East African Community to implement harmonized voice and SMS call charges.

The new rates will be applicable to both pre pay and post pay subscribers with customers able to select their network of choice in the destinations that they travel to based on the rates on offer.