[kictanet] AT&T to no longer support calls originating from Keny

Tue Feb 20 08:08:10 EAT 2007

Wouldn't you be curious to find out a very popular free internet-based www.sasanet.co.ke is now no longer working? I wonder why?

/Alex

Mike Theuri <mike.theuri at gmail.com> wrote: Alex, 

Thank you for sharing the blog on the anti-consumer setting in the country. The blog has very useful information that is not being shared with Kenyan consumers and it is key that consumer rights are upheld. Your blog out to be brought to more attention of key stakeholders in ICT and to consumers alike.  

Yes, the Ministry and CCK are best placed to authoritatively comment on such an issue. However I believe that what AT&T is discontinuing is the ability to use a "call back" number from Kenya to the US. It is very likely that the call back numbers which are 0800 numbers are no longer profitable for AT&T especially given that they cost as high as $3/min. Technically they are supposed to be cheaper to use than if one was to "call back" the US direct from any other country be it Kenya or the UK. However with AT&T's rate to call the US from Kenya as high as it is and with local providers beating their tariffs they may have opted to drop this service. What this might do, is it might leave AT&T US based customers unable to call the US using their AT&T calling cards for what would otherwise be exorbitant prices.  

The wording of the AT&T notice on the lack of no future support for calls originating from Kenya wasn't very clear and after some digging around it appears that it referred to users of AT&T who utilize call back services while traveling overseas, it might just be due to stiff competition now that VOIP has been deregulated and tariffs have fallen (though not low enough) and that no one in their right mind would be willing to pay $3+ per minute for a call to the US when for a extremely small fraction one could make the same phone call at a lower rate. 

Even then the tariffs in general are not fair enough for Kenyan consumers and it is an uphill battle to enforce changes when some of the largest tax payers happen to be communication providers. It is unthinkable that the government would do much to jeopardize a large and steady tax revenue stream to save the honorable consumer. Increasingly huge profits in a formerly depressed and now recovering economy like ours raise the question whether the consumer is getting a fair deal. It is akin to oil companies making several times over some nations GDP in profits and claiming that they are struggling themselves and offering the best prices possible. Price regulation in the industry is something that should be looked into to further to try and strike a fair balance between consumers needs and investors return on equity.  

Mike

On 2/18/07, Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru at yahoo.com> wrote: Mike:

Although this is a consumer issue, you may notice we have quite some domestic wars with the prevailing anti-consumer setting,  http://ictconsumer.blogspot.com/ for example.

By engaging foreign networks, I am afraid the ICT Consumers Association of Kenya could be considered acting ultra vires thus the Ministry of Information and Communications, CCK, and perhaps also Foreign Affairs are best  suited to comment. 

Would a provocative question, like "why has a private US telco unilaterally cut-off communication from Kenya to the US jeopardizing both a basic human right and the national outsourcing strategy" earn a quick response from government?     

rgds,

Alex

Mike Theuri <mike.theuri at gmail.com> wrote:  As an after thought, this may mean calls  dialed through this number which by itself is a very expensive option and which may reflect the effects of voip and lowered costs of international calls:

Kenya 0-800-2201-15 (608) 

 On 2/18/07, Mike Theuri <mike.theuri at gmail.com> wrote:  Does anyone know why the below might be the case ? AT&T printed this in small print on bills sent to customer in January. Considering
that AT&T is the largest telco in the US this is a serious issue :

International Call Origination:  
Effective March 1, 2007, our International Call
Origination service will change. Current access
numbers for calls originating internationally
will change. Please visit   att.com/dialing-guide 
to print the new dialing-guide for your reference;
or call the number on your bill to order a new
dialing guide. Calls from Kenya to US will
no longer be supported. International to 
international calling from St. Martin will no 
longer be supported. Also, International
service will be expanded to over 60 additional
countries. To find out rates and countries where
we provide service, please visit 
  att.com/intl-rates.

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