Bharti Airtel is working towards securing a good position in the telecommunications market across the African continent and the continued introduction of free services for its customers might just be the stepping stone they need.
Last week, Airtel introduced an SMS bundle subscription service in Kenya that is aimed to improve customer experience by reducing costs of sending messages to any networks available in the country to up to 50 cents for one single text.
The telecom has also introduced free internet services through a partnership with Facebook to make available basic information at no cost through Internet.org offing across Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya, allowing more people to come online.
In a continent where most people are trying to survive on their low income, purchase of Airtime and Data to allow access to basic services becomes a luxury to many, who prefer to use their mobile phones to only connect with family and friends or at the very least stay without a mobile device.
The introduction of free internet services for all, even those without the smartphones which are also an expensive purchase for most people in Africa, will bring hope to many who have the need to access information but are plagued with their lack of resources.
As JUUCHINI reported yesterday, Internet.org is set to benefit many through creating a knowledgeable society and creating an opportunity for the youths in various countries to have access to information they did not have before and achieve a connected continent.
Now the telecom has introduced a new offer that is aimed to help improve the lives of the youth in Nigeria by providing free access to various social networking sites including the popular WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.
The new product offer is dubbed Airtel Trybe and will be available for the Nigerian youths as long as they are in a campus premises, allowing even for free calls in efforts by the telco to increase connectivity and grow subscriber base in the long run.
Airtel’s offer for free Tweeting services is not new as it is already available in various countries including Kenya, but the offer for free WhatsApp is a service I know Kenyans would purchase an Airtel line for.
After the telecom launched the Internet.org in Kenya, we wrote about it, and when I shared with other people I received the same question from different people; Is WhatsApp free?
Being that Facebook now owns WhatsApp, I believe it would be logical to provide free access to the mobile messaging service through the Airtel network. Free WhatsApp would definitely make me run and purchase an Airtel line.
