{{Kenya}}: {Telecommunications operator Safaricom has suspended the proposed new international and roaming tariffs between Kenya and Rwanda. }
This follows a directive by the Rwanda government on October 1, announcing the introduction of new levies on international calling and roaming tariffs between the two countries.
Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said the development makes it impossible for operators in Kenya and Rwanda to go ahead with the planned downward revision of tariffs.
“We will therefore revert to the previous tariffs even as we push on with efforts to ensure we have affordable calling rates for the region,” said Collymore.
The mobile operator early in the week announced that its customers visiting Rwanda would make calls to Rwanda’s networks at Sh10, a 60 per cent drop from the initial rate of Sh25 per minute. Also, customers would also pay Sh10 to call back home.
The move would also have scrapped the charges for receiving calls while roaming in Rwanda, which previously stood at Sh25 per minute. Cross-border calls The move by Rwanda to impose new taxes, it is feared, will take the East African Community (EAC) a step back from a plan by the five member states to slash cross-border call rates in the region by 2015.
{{Standard Media}}
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