Telecel, the second largest mobile operator (by subscribers numbers) launched ‘Per Second’ billing on its network on 1 September. We started seeing adverts for the new service this week and noticed something that made us stop: ‘Per Second’ billing has been made optional for prepaid subscribers.
Prepaid subscribers are opted out by default and have to SMS a code to opt-in to ‘Per Second’ billing. They can also opt-out at any time by sending another SMS code. Telecel also made it a point to clarify that ‘Per Second’ billing is not available on the much loved bonus airtime.
Post paid (contract) subscribers on the other hand have ‘Per Second’ turned on automatically and don’t get to opt out.
We sent an inquiry to Telecel to find out the reasons behind and this is the response we got this afternoon:
Promotions such as the Mega Juice and Baby Juice Promotions are tied to ‘Per Minute’ billing and can result in considerable savings. Subscribers who have switched to ‘Per Second’ billing have the option of returning to ‘Per Minute’ billing to take advantage of such promotions. It was to allow them to do this that subscribers were given the option of ‘Per Second’ or ‘‘Per Minute’’ billing.
They can switch from one to the other depending on what is most beneficial for them. If they are using ordinary air time, ‘Per Second’ billing will be advantageous. If they want the benefit of the bonus air time that comes with the Mega Juice and Baby Juice cards, they will need to switch to ‘Per Minute’ billing.
We also asked about the ‘Per Second’ call rates:
‘Per Second’ billing rate is equal to the ‘‘Per Minute’’ billing rate divided by 60. In other words the cost of a one minute phone call is the same whether the subscriber is on ‘‘Per Minute’’ or ‘‘Per Second’’ billing. However, the savings that can be achieved with special promotions can only be realised if the subscriber is on ‘Per Minute’ billing.
The switch to ‘Per Second’ billing was a directive issued by the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) to all mobile operators earlier this year. Both NetOne and Econet have enabled ‘Per Second’ billing on their networks. NetOne introduced it way back in May and Econet just last week. It is not optional for subscribers to access Per Second billing on the Econet and NetOne networks.
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