Airtel Launches Non-expiry Data Bundles, 5MB To Sell At Ksh1

Kenya’s second-largest telco Airtel has launched non-expiry data, months after its rival Safaricom launched a similar product.

In the new plan, 5MB of data will cost Ksh1, and a Ksh2 call rate across all networks will be applied.

Unlike the traditional method, subscribers will not be required to buy data bundles, but will have to subscribe to the service with no conditions, according to the telco.

According to Prasanta Das Sarma, CEO Airtel Kenya, the service comes as a game changer in the market for subscribers who complain of data and airtime expiry.

Read: Safaricom Introduces Non-Expiring Data Bundles After Outcry

Safaricom launched its non-expiry data and airtime on October 23, after a public outcry concerning the expiry of the two.

Previously, a lawyer and ICT practitioner Adrian Kamotho had dragged Safaricom, Telkom, Airtel to court over the expiry of data bundles.

Also on the list of respondents is the industry regulator, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The demands intensified after all telecommunication companies in Ghana were directed by the government to do away with expiry of data bundles and airtime, a practice that is common in most countries.

Ghana has four major telecommunication companies which include MTN, Vodafone, Airtel Tigo and Glo, and all will be affected by the directive.