Airtel redefines affordability with one network roaming |20 November 2012

This service, which is in line with the marketing concept of ‘Roam as a Local’, will enable Airtel Seychelles customers to make calls and access data services at affordable rates.

This product will be available in all the 17 Airtel Africa countries, as well as in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Postpaid customers will be the first group of clients to benefit immediately, and prepaid customers will benefit from the service in the coming months.

The countries covered by Airtel One Network Services are Kenya, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

A ceremony to launch the service was held at the Airtel head office at Providence yesterday afternoon and it was attended by Vice-President Danny Faure, the principal secretary for information communication and technology (ICT) Benjamin Choppy, and the country manager of Airtel Seychelles Vikram Sinha.

Mr Faure – who also holds the portfolio for ICT – commended the initiative which should bring down substantially the cost of roaming while in these countries, especially for individuals involved in businesses between countries.

“Many Seychellois who do business or who travel frequently as part of their work and who make use of roaming services have at one time or other had the ‘bill shock’ experience when it comes to roaming charges, especially nowadays with smartphones, where there is a need to be continuously connected to data services such as e-mail,” he said.

“The introduction of Airtel’s One Network service that allows its clients from any country where it has a presence to benefit from local charges, whether voice or data, is indeed good news for the local clients. On the government’s side, we always welcome the introduction of new services in the telecommunications sector that keep us abreast of international trends and especially the ones that allow more affordability and are more customer-friendly,” added VP Faure.

He noted that this initiative was discussed only a week ago at the last SADC ICT ministers’ meeting held in Mauritius, and today he was proud to see Seychelles ready to implement the recommendation.

“The possibility of travelling to another country and benefit from the same connection costs as locals in that country is indeed a positive development for affordability of roaming services,” he said.

Mr Sinha said that with the world as a global village, and Seychellois continuing to travel and do business across Africa, India and south-east Asian countries, Airtel Seychelles is privileged to have Airtel partner companies in all these countries.

“We are always committed to facilitate communication and break barriers for Seychellois to connect with business partners, families and loved ones,” he said.