Cell C – Zain ‘One Network’ partnership means roaming customers will be treated as locals
Cell C today announce its roaming partnership with Zain which will benefit both Zain and Cell C subscribers.
The ‘One Network’ borderless mobile phone platform enables pre-paid and post-paid Zain customers to be treated as Cell C customers when they roam on the South African Cell C network.
“This means that Zain customers will be treated like local Cell C subscribers in terms of pricing while retaining home country service functionalities,” Cell C said in a press statement.
The partnership between Zain and Cell C means that Zain customers will pay relatively low rates (compared to traditional roaming rates) on the Cell C network.
Zain end customer call charges vs. Cell C customer call charges:
Zain customers making local calls while in South Africa will be charged at Cell C’s R1.50 flat rate.
Zain customers making calls to their respective home countries while in South Africa will be charged at a lower rate than the current international rate charged to local customers. For example a Zain subscriber from Malawi or Zambia will only pay R3.95 per minute when making calls to these countries when roaming on Cell C’s Network, compared to the normal international call charge of R5/per minute.
All other international calls (which falls outside the Zain One Network) will be charged at normal international prepaid rates.
SMSes will be charged at a flat rate of 84c, whether sending a local or international sms.
In terms of the partnership, Cell C customers will in future receive similar benefits when roaming on these Zain networks. “The effective date will be communicated in due course,” said Cell C.
“Simplicity is one of the core values of Cell C and ‘One Network’ makes roaming a lot simpler for our Zain customers. We are happy to enable Zain visitors to South Africa to make use of our network at prices they are accustomed to at home,” said Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt.
With the “One Network” service there is no need for customers to pre-register, no roaming deposits, and no complicated dialling formats. Zain customers can recharge their pre-paid lines with locally purchased top up cards.
