Orange Kenya has revamped its unlimited Internet data bundle offerings. Orange has made various improvements in the reliability, coverage and speed of its 3G network over the last few months. In tests that CIO East Africa has been carrying out over the last month, Orange Kenya's 3G network was able to provide seamless streaming on mobile devices. In indepedent tests conducted by a user in the Skunkworks Forum known as Aki, he was able to download a 300 Megabyte file in 7 minutes (6.5 Megabits per second ). The speeds however varied, though remaining high at 3.6 Megabits per second which sees a standard 700 Megabyte movie downloading in half an hour. Aki's tests were around Westlands and Hurligham.
At the time however, the unlimited mobile bundle on Orange 3G cost Ksh 990 a week , and under "fair usage" policies, the unlimited bundle was not actually unlimited as it had a limit of 500 megabytes, which is less than a standard movie. Orange customer care agents advised the 500 Mb limit was only on the mobile bundles purchased on phone. This raises confusion with more people buying bundles on their smartphones and using their phones as modems.Truly unlimited bundles were only available on Orange's 3G+ network which uses CDMA equipment which is incompatible with 3G GSM phones and modems. An Orange representative promised to respond on fair usage policies on the new bundles.

In a press release Tuesday, Orange announced a major repricing of their unlimited bundles, with their "mobile" bundles priced at Ksh 39 daily, Ksh 249 weekly and KSh 990 monthly, while modem bundles are Ksh 990 weekly and Ksh 2990 monthly. The difference is that mobile bundles are purchased on phone while modem bundles are purchased on the software that comes in the modems.To purchase mobile bundles, dial #123# on your phone and select option 3.

There is also the Orange portal at http://212.49.70.49:8090/selfservice/index.jsp which works with all devices with the phone number as the username and the PIN as the password. Users looking to use their smartphones as a modem are advised to use the portal instead.The portal is also suitable for those using non Orange modems.

You can leave your comment on what speeds and experience you are getting on their network.

Below is Orange's press release on the pricing review.

Telkom Kenya has launched unlimited Internet bundles for its Orange mobile and 3G broadband customers.

The newly launched bundles will see Orange mobile customers enjoy unlimited Internet for as low as Ksh 39 daily, Ksh 249 weekly and KSh 990 monthly while the Orange Internet Everywhere 3G modem customers will access unlimited Internet for Ksh 990 and Ksh 2990 on a weekly and monthly basis respectively.

"Orange is keen on increasing its customer acquisition and retention by offering relevant and cost effective data services in a bid to further strengthen its position as the leading provider of data services in the country," said Telkom Kenya Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Angela Nganga-Mumo.

The new mobile unlimited Internet bundles can be purchased by dialing #123# while modem users can buy their broadband bundles can be purchased through the Orange portal.

Mumo added; "We are confident that with our reliable Internet connectivity and now affordable bundles, we will have greatly improved the value proposition to our customers. Moreover, this fast and convenient access of data comes at a time when Kenyans are appreciating the use of ICT in the transaction of business, rather than just for social communication".

Orange launched its 21Mbps 3G network in August next year, with a view to expanding the Orange mobile and data customer base.

According to the latest CCK report, the data market recorded a 14 % increase in the number of Internet users to 14.3 million. This growth was accelerated by increased mobile subscriptions and the ease of accessing the service based on customer requirement and usage.

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