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Monday, October 06, 2008

Zain knock out SafCon

I have never liked how SafCon would rip us off with horrendous calling charges... so I tried to support KenCell-Celtel-Zain when I could.

I was a classic double/triple SIMmer... I had 3 phones:

- SafCon for SafCon to SafCon (it has the largest subscriber users)
- Zain to Zain (occasional use)
- Telkom to Telkom (they had corporate reach for intra-company calls)

Now... I am 95% on Zain. I will even return missed calls when I sign up for the "Unlimited Package" between 6am to 6pm. Yes... $1/day buys me 12 hours of unlimited talk time... granted... I start using it at 8am at the earliest & only on Zain... but I can talk & talk & talk...

I was on PAMOJA but since I have to call some (non-progressive) folks on SafCon, I changed (vukad) to VUKA. I miss the 3/- Pamoja but its only 20/- to change tariffs on Zain on weekends.

If only Zain had introduced VUKA before the SafCon IPO... I betcha the over-subscription would have been much lower.

Zain has unlimited - albeit slow - internet access at 3,000/- per month. I currently use SafCon coz of (1) speed & (2) pre-paid but if Zain were to give me 3G... I would vuka that over as well.

When Zain introduces their 1,000/- phone... I expect many more subscribers to migrate to Zain.

There are some hardcore Suffericomers there... but I laugh at them when I can call them at rates 66% lower than they can call me... as is... I hardly call SafCon anyway! My new habit when I have to call anyone on safaricon or orange is... do you have a Zain number????

So... safcon shares may not be as cheap as they seem at KES 4.80...

I have not been paid by Zain... but if Rene Meze is reading this... I am responsible for at least 25 migrations over to Zain...

15 comments:

Terryanne Chebet said...

From one Vuka fan to another...all it took was a change in names?

This bride has been down the altar too many times, but am liking her now, in nice purple and also having the best TV ad in recent days, you are not responsible for my migration,( :-)) as I have vukad already, but man, that new 1500 phone from Orange sure is something!

I wonder how Zain's IPO in Zambia went.

bankelele said...

I'm still on the Safcom side, but can see the promised land and am ready to Vuka after 6 years. Is the tariff a keeper? And if Rene Meza gets 5 million subscribers, will still be as generous?

Pete R Njenga said...

This is definitely good news.
If only Zain now went 3G or progressed and unleashed a countrywide WiMAX network like Zain Bahrain did, then Safcon would be screwed.
Have a look at http://www.peternjenga.com/2008/10/wimax-future-of-mobile-broadband.html
Is Zain the way forward for voice calls and Zuku for broadband internet?
Wacha tungoje na tuone.
Cheers!

pesa tu said...

Am a hardcore Safaricomer but it's now cheaper for me to calll my fellow safaricomers on Zain than via Safcom.I may be forced to VUKA

coldtusker said...

chebet: It was new/fresh thinking from Rene Meza who helped jumpstart Zain in TZ.

banks: Pole but u gotta get with the program unless u wanna call btwn midnite-6am...

peter: Kaa square... not for now. The 3G will come with econet.

pesa tu: Safcon and suffericomers. They deserve each other! ;-)

Anonymous said...

orange knock out zain?
Orange now have a 1/- per minute offer (yes, thats one shilling). will they out-zain zain with this offer?
and with safcom shares dipping to 3.70 at the NSE, whats the future like for them? i can only bet on MPesa...

bankelele said...

I don't see safcom losing market share, but all companies will have les revenue than expected from the price wars (people who are vukaing are still keeping their safcom lines)

coldtusker said...

Orange might have 1/- but its the 'vuka' that makes folks happy since they can call any network...

hardly anyone has Orange...

and they lost the plot when they didn't launch the 1/- promo when they launched Orange


banks: Nope... I betcha safcon is losing 'real' market share i.e. not the lines but the number of minutes called... also I expect safcon ARPU to drop as folks use Zain to call safcon...

Proud Kikuyu Woman said...

I've never bought anything on the basis of supporting a business. If it works for me, I'm in.Most businesses are in it for the money, too. Safcom made incredible profits with their model.It's taken Kencel/Celtel/Zain so many years to figure how to get us all from Safcom, the second entrant.I'm now on the verge of vukaing because Zain is cheaper than Safcom, and Zain is regional.You can call Zain on 22 African countries, and then some in the Middle East, at local rates, even the Ksh 65 per day.
Only problem for me now is that I'd distributed my Safcom # far and wide. Until I have two phones, Safcom's still gonna be my default number while I use my zain line occasionally. Almost all my contacts are still on Safcom-virtually anyone with a phone on my (extended, lol) family and almost all friends. My siz suggested jana we all get at least 3 lines (before the offer phones come in) each since the price wars seem like they're gonna go on for a while-econnet is yet to come. Well, I'm a happy consumer!

Terryanne Chebet said...

Hey, just wondering as a follow up to your interesting atrticle above of cons and counter cons whad'ya think of the 1 bob from orange? Sustainable or shock response?

coldtusker said...

Orange: too little too late

The 1/- seems good but they have left the original (loyal) CDMA's (Telkom wireless) high and dry. The TW folks are NOT included in the Kes 1/- per min thus making the pool of people who can be called on Ornage incredibly small.

So why would I trust Orange?

KenyaWebs said...

Another fast-----to VUKA or in my terms KURUKA-RUKA. Hey with money this hard to come by, due to the never ending commissions to investgate commissions, and corruption, exploitation and whatever. Sure enough. Its high time this so call big timers/ the big boys and their clubs call it quits.

Yeah. I feel Zain like they do me. Why exploit me by charging exhobitant rates, poor customer care- can you imagine, with over 1 million subscribers with the capital city Nairobi having roughly 3/4 of this and JUST 2 customer care centers. DONT even bother calling the $%&* number, it never and wount work.

Am being practical here. Dont cling on this dying COW people. And for the SHARES -- - -- - I have no appology 3.00 kshs. Hhhhaaahaaha. What a laugh

Anonymous said...

Once the supply and demand factors are put into consideration here, the customer is on the benefiting side in this. So whoes complaining!!

I guess majority of kenyans seek a relief in whatsoever form to easen the day to day monetary strain that is being felt across the world.

So, cheers, lets keep going lower and lower----I bet we may soon be given free handsets as long as you subscribe to these advertismant crazy mobile phone providers!!

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