Vodafone launched its Blackberry services a few weeks ago, targetted at individuals, small businesses and large enterprises in Ghana. The telco announced BlackBerry service packages that were different from that of its main competitors – MTN and Zain.
Currently, both MTN and Zain offer very similar BlackBerry services. They both offer a flat monthly fee. The visible difference lies in their tariff: while Zain charges 35 GHc per month, MTN charges 40 GHc per month. They both offer push email, Facebook, Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger etc as well as varying 3.5G network coverage across Ghana.
Granted that Vodafone’s monthly charge at 45 GHc per month is higher than that of the competition, and that Vodafone does not offer 3.5G network coverage anywhere in Ghana at this time, their flexible packages make their BlackBerry offer more attractive.
Flexible plans
Vodafone offers 3 distinct BlackBerry plans:
- Daily rate: this goes for 5 GHc and comes with a 150MB data limit.
- Weekly rate: this goes for 15 GHc and comes with a 750MB data limit.
- Monthly rate: this is the main course. It comes with 2.5GB data limit for a 45 GHc monthly fee and is bundled with 100 minutes to all phone networks in Ghana as well as 50 SMS to all local networks.
Although MTN’s monthly billing for the BlackBerry service is pro-rated, Vodafone’s flexible packages still offer more cost savings to those who do not need the service every day of the month.
Bundled services worth 500 GHc?
Vodafone claims their the Monthly package priced at 45 GHc offers a 500 GHc value. This is suspicious, at best.
One can excuse their lavish use of the words “free” and “unlimited”, as part of “marketing” but an arithmetic look at their offer does not give an insight into the aclaimed 500 GHc value. Let’s work it out together.
Zain offers 30 days of BlackBerry Internet Service without bundled calls and SMS for 35 GHc. Both Zain and Vodafone currently offer prepaid subscribers calls to any network in Ghana, at 8 GH pesewas per minute. 100 minutes of call on either networks therefore amounts to 8 GH Cedis. Vodafone prices network SMS at 4 GH Pesewas. 50 SMS messages would therefore cost 2 GH cedis.
In essence, 35 + (0.08 x 100) + (0.04 x 50) = 35 + 8 + 2 = 45. Where is the saving? Where lies that 500 GHc value, dear Vodafone?
Granted that much of BlackBerry traffic is compressed and so, flows quite well even on an EDGE network, Vodafone should necessarily offer lower tariffs relative to MTN & Zain since both competitors offer much faster 3.5G networks in urban areas of Ghana.
Since mobile telecoms is a very competitive industry in Ghana, one can only except MTN and Zain to respond to the assault by Vodafone, and also reduce their BIS tariffs. With the launch of new submarine cables (for carrying voice and data traffic from Ghana to the rest of the world and vice versa), one expects the BlackBerry monthly tariffs would necessarily drop, and still offer more value.
Thanks to the Mathematics there…..but these Telecom operators just take us for granted and think we are fools sitting in Ghana..
Compare it to their operations in other nations e.g. U.S.A and the U.K., it doesn’t happen like there cos they civilised and cannot be cheated in any course with this undoubtedly plans….
It is time we the brilliant youth come fourth to protest for quality services from these Telecom operators.
In actual fact, the ‘Internet’ is not cheap in Ghana as compared to developed countries…. they should bid down even more and more.
Thanks to you for taking a critical look at this issue… How many Ghanaians could actually sit down to realise and work this mathematics…lol
Bravo!!!
Thanks Mustapha. Aluta continua.
Zain’s blackberry service is 40GHC as well. I don’t know where people got the GHC35 info from but it’s definitely GHC40 as shown on my bills. 🙂
Hi Anibas, welcome to my blog.
I don’t use Zain’s BIS but I checked with Zain BIS subscribers before writing this blog post. Following your GHc 40 assertion, I called Zain Customer Care and they confirmed that they charge GHc 35 for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.
Hi,
Which service provider has blackberry service available in the Suhuma area?
i had wanted to put my head into this. but i said i must check the net to see comments base on this. thanks bro…. you are right.
is there any free blackberry service movement in ghana???
i will like to know whether MTN has weekly service here in Ghana……….i mean BBS
No. They don’t weekly BIS plans but Vodafone does.
Hi, I’m a little late to this conversation but I hope you can help. I live in the UK and I’ll be working in Ghana for 3 months starting April. I am fretting about BBM because I can’t live without it 🙂
Would you happen to know if BBM works on the flexible packages listed in your article?
Many thanks
You all need to come to Nigeria and experience the crappy service we pay twice for…