New prices may affect customer consumption: Vodafone

Ayman Essam, head of the legal and external affairs at Vodafone, said that the increase in prices of prepaid top-up cards approved by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) may affect the consumption of customers.

Essam told Daily News Egypt that market studies have to wait for a full month to measure the impact on consumption patterns, noting that the current increase policies were not approved by mobile operators, but imposed by NTRA.

The NTRA had rejected a proposal offered by Vodafone, Orange, and Etisalat to launch an offer in which the companies bear the 30% increase in card prices, but the offer was declined by the authority, which also approved the same request made by Telecom Egypt (We).

Essam refuted the rumours that the companies sought to increase the prices of cards at the current scheme. He explained that the companies had another proposal six months ago, which was rejected by the NTRA, before it passes the increase in the current form.