Regulator suspends airtime promotions

Oct 23, 2007

THE Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has suspended promotions of telecom firms in which customers are given extra airtime. The ban applies to offers of free airtime of 50% for Celtel between 10:00pm and 8:00am, 50% for MTN between 10:00pm and 8:00am and uganda telecom’s offer of free telepho

By Emmy Olaki

THE Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has suspended promotions of telecom firms in which customers are given extra airtime. The ban applies to offers of free airtime of 50% for Celtel between 10:00pm and 8:00am, 50% for MTN between 10:00pm and 8:00am and uganda telecom’s offer of free telephone calls between 11:00pm and 7:00am, the commission said in a statement.

The telecom providers launched the promotions two months ago. Although the offers ran at off-peak hours, many users were increasingly frustrated as the lines got jammed after 10:00pm.

As a result, many customers are stranded with large sums of built-up credit, which they cannot use.
Philip Besiimire, the MTN senior manager for consumer marketing, said any outstanding credit at the end of the promotion would be lost.

Celtel said it would also comply with the directive. However, its marketing manager, Martin Sebuliba, said their customers could continue using the accumulated credit until it is spent.
Most of Uganda’s current telephone networks can handle up to 25,000 calls at once yet MTN has two million subscribers, Celtel 1.2 million and utl about 700,000.

A utl official, however, said the company had been upgrading its network and now had the capacity to handle the increased numbers. But he added that they understood UCC’s concern to have clear airwaves, especially ahead of the Commonwealth summit.

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