Even though you probably text, Tweet and Whatsapp more than you call or SMS combined, you’ll often find yourself wanting to make that call to a friend or mum or a business associate. And it costs money.
Now some people might want to use Whatsapp, Skype, Viber and many other Voice apps in the wild to make calls with friends, but here’s the hardcore truth; we aren’t there yet!
Voice and SMS tariffs have stagnated for a while now. That’s because Mobile Telecoms are still hanging on that segment to pay the bills. Warid Telcom which was popular for igniting voice tariff wars is long gone and we shall miss it. In the meantime, mobile subscribers have no choice but to hunt for the best deals out there.
Per Second tariff rates
Lets start with per second billing. UTL comes off as the most affordable network in this category pricing it’s calls/second at Ugx 3 for UTL-to-UTL calls or on-net calls and Ugx 4 to other networks. Africell Uganda has the most expensive costs per second call tariffs charging Ugx 7 per second to other networks. The other networks comparatively charge the same price that falls between Ugx 4-5.5 per second on and off-net calls.
Per Minute tariff rates
When it comes to per minute calling, Smart Telecom is your friend. The mobile network charges only Ugx 180 per minute for on and off-net calls while Africell Uganda once again comes off as the most expensive network for off-net calls. Africell charges Ugx 360 per minute to other networks but is lenient for on-net calls with Ugx 240 per minute. The other networks maintain an average of Ugx 300 per minute for on and off-net calls. Airtel Uganda remains obscure with its tariff plans that we could hardly find anywhere including its own website.
SMS tariff rates
But when you choose to go old-school with SMS, Smart Telecom once again is your friend. They charge only Ugx 75 per SMS on and off-net. Africell comes off second cheapest with Ugx 90 per SMS rate. But MTN Uganda’s Ugx 130 per SMS to other networks charge is a little hard to swallow especially in the era of Whatsapp.
Here’s a complete comparative Price list of Voice and SMS tariffs across Ugandan Mobile Networks
