Staff Writer
Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTC) has announced that, effective from 10 September, it will be discontinuing its free standalone SMS offering, which customers previously received upon recharging.
This move is part of MTC’s ongoing efforts to enhance network efficiency and introduce more value-driven communication solutions for customers.
The decision follows a steady shift in customer communication preferences, with increasing adoption of data-based messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, email, and other digital services.
“Our customers’ communication needs are evolving rapidly. As part of our commitment to delivering improved services and innovative products, we are realigning our offerings to focus more on affordable data solutions,” said Tim Ekandjo, Chief Marketing, Communication, and Sustainability Officer.
Ekandjo said shifting consumer needs have informed business decisions, such as the mass adoption of free Over-The-Top (OTT) apps.
The overwhelming popularity of internet-based messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and iMessage provides consumers with free, media-rich, and globally accessible chat options via standard data or Wi-Fi.
“It is also worth noting that SMSs have continued to be embedded within our evolved bundle offerings. Customers on our popular Aweh bundles and the T49 service plan for Prepaid already receive generous SMS allocations as part of those packages.”
For Postpaid customers, Ekandjo said free SMSs remain included in the monthly Free Units allocation and Boost Bundles, ensuring continued access to SMS services where needed.
Ekandjo said that as a result, this change will have no material impact on customers on these offerings, and reflects a deliberate move to discontinue a standalone feature that has been overtaken by the richer, more relevant value provided by its current portfolio.
Introduced in the early 2000s on the MTC network, the free SMS service was a complimentary bonus automatically loaded upon customer recharging.
However, MTC has now said that over the years, with the advent of OTT services having taken over the now-dated SMS system, it was inevitable that this service would end.
