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| Business |
| Celtel introduces One-4-All payphone |
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by
Aubrey Mchulu, 13 November 2006
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09:04:00
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Celtel Malawi Limited on Friday introduced the ‘One-4-All’ payphone service which is touted as the first sim-based mobile public payphone in the country.
Celtel Malawi director of marketing Charles Maye said during the launch in Blantyre the ‘One-4-All’ payphone is powered by the Motorola C113 handset which will cost operators K8,000 [about US $ 57].
He said the payphone service is one of the many business solutions Celtel has to offer to Malawians at this time when signs point to a rebound in economic activity.
“One-4-All is a flexible business tool because it gives the operator the discretion to choose where and when to do business. At the same time, customers would now have the convenience of getting instant access to telecommunication services wherever they are,” said Maye.
Its introduction on the local market builds on the success that the business concept has registered in Uganda, Zambia and Kenya where Celtel also has operations, according to Maye.
The ‘One-4-All’ payphone will complement the existing payphones which use a desktop handset, according to Bigboy Makoloma, Celtel’s payphone Sales manager.
Makoloma said the ‘One-4-All’ payphone has a metering system to monitor usage and its tariff is K25 per 30 seconds.
He said operators stand to make K1,250 profit for an hour’s talk.
Doreen Milanzi, a payphone operator from Sharpe Vale in Ntcheu, said the payphone system has simplified communication in her remote area where previously people had difficulties to link up with the outside world.
Milanzi, who was one of the 10 operators to receive complementary ‘One-4-All’ payphones from Celtel, said she ventured into the business in October last year.
The payphones concept has enabled millions of Malawians who cannot afford to own mobile phones. Maye said studies show that only one percent of the Malawi population has access to fixed lines while only five percent can afford cell phones. |
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