RIYADH, 25 February — Connection fee for mobile phones will be slashed from SR1,500 to SR800 (a 47 percent cut) and of family mobiles from SR500 to SR400 from March 11 as the government has approved the proposals made by the Saudi Telecommunication Company's board of directors, STC announced yesterday.
The company said Finance and National Economy Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf and acting Minister of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones Khaled Al-Gosaibi have also approved STC's proposals to extend new mobile phone services, including discount in monthly charges as well as telephone control and flexibility facilities.
The government has also approved a reduction of peak-hour cell phone charges from SR1.20 to 95 halalas per minute, off-peak hour charges from SR1 to 50 halalas and short message charges from 50 halalas to 30 halalas per message. "The above changes in mobile phone tariff will be effective on March 11," the company said.
STC offered two types of monthly mobile charges for specific number of minutes: SR100 inclusive of monthly subscription fee for 70 minutes; and SR200 inclusive of monthly subscription fee for 250 minutes. In the first case, after the completion of 70 minutes, 85 halalas per minute will be charged at peak hours and 50 halalas at off-peak hours. In the second category, 75 halalas per minute will be charged at peak hours and 50 halalas at off-peak hours after the completion of 250 minutes.
Referring to the telephone control facility, the company said it would charge SR25 per month for facilities like calculating the cost of telephone calls, setting a ceiling for the cost of calls and preventing calls to and from certain numbers. The telephone flexibility service, STC said, would be provided at a monthly tariff of SR100. "This service will include group dialing, reception of short messages from the Internet and e-mail messages, exchanging of information and fax messages," it said, adding that the control and flexibility services would be made available from April 9.
"The new telephone services are provided as per STC's strategy of revising its charges regularly in the wake of the completion of wide-scale telecommunication infrastructure projects," the statement said. The company reaffirmed its commitment to extend the best possible services to clients in all parts of the Kingdom.
