Airtel woos new subscribers with bonus airtime

Airtel Kenya has unveiled a promotion that will see new subscribers enjoy up to 25 per cent bonus airtime as it seeks to increase the number of users and drive voice sales volume.

To qualify, subscribers will have to buy and register a new Airtel SIM card from any of its shops, dealers or agents.

In the promotion, upon loading airtime worth Sh100, the new subscriber will get a value of Sh125 credit for use.

The drive to woo new subscribers comes on the background of latest quarterly report by Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), showing that Airtel gained most subscribers in three months to September to reach 5.5 million users, a 5.5 per cent increase compared to the previous period.

“The bonus applies automatically to all new prepaid customers immediately after loading airtime on their newly purchased Airtel lines,” Shivan Bhargava, Airtel Kenya Managing Director said in a statement.

“This is yet another initiative by the company to keep Kenyans connected and talking through its range of affordable services.”

Customers will be able to use the bonus on calls and SMS to numbers within the Airtel Kenya network upon buying a new Airtel Sim card.

The promotion follows Telkom Orange’s campaign to switch from the rivals’ networks and acquire its Sim card through adverts indicating that its calling rates are the lowest in the market.

The Orange advert insinuates that Safaricom charges Sh4 for on-net calls and to other networks, Orange charges Sh3 to call Safaricom or other networks and Sh2 within its network using an Orange line.

“It is more affordable calling the other network from Orange than calling within that network . So get an Orange line from your nearest Orange dealer today, and talk, all day, all night on the permanent Tujuane tariff,” said Orange in its paid up promo.

The CCK report showed that the total number of mobile subscribers grew by 2.5 per cent to reach 31.3 million up from 30.5 million registered during the previous quarter.

During the period, Safaricom gained 3.3 per cent new customers to reach 20.8 million subscribers up from 20.1 million in the previous quarter under the review. While Orange now has 2.2 million subscribers having increased its market share by 3.6 per cent.

yuMobile is the only mobile firm that did not increase its number of subscribers during the period under review, having lost 9.3 per cent of its subscribers to reach 2.7 million customers.