JEDDAH, 7 September 2006 — Saudi Telecom fixed line business unit Alhatif has slashed the local and national calling rates by up to 50 percent. There will be one flat national call rate for “Hatif 30” and “Hatif 45” around the clock for all days of the week in all cities of the Kingdom. By doing this Alhatif has not only drastically reduced the national intercity calling rates but made the pricing simpler by eliminating the peak off-peak and distance bands, STC announced yesterday. The new call rates that are effective are: Hatif 45 — five halalas per minute for local calls (inside the city) and 10 halalas per minute for national calls (intercity); Hatif 30 — five halalas per minute for local calls and 20 halalas per minute for national calls.
Customers may select their favorite price plan (Hatif-30 or Hatif-45). In case of Hatif 30, fees for local calls per minute will be five halalas and 20 halalas per minute for national calls with a monthly subscription of SR 30. On the other hand, in case Hatif-45 Plan is selected, fees for local calls will be five halalas per minute and 10 halalas per minute for national calls at a monthly subscription fee of SR45, a STC spokesman said.
These price reductions come as part of STC’s long standing strategy since its founding and are aimed to make telecommunication services available to all customers in all areas of the Kingdom at the lowest possible cost and price. “The company’s policy is not limited to developing its pricing range but also at developing its products and services to meet its customer’s needs and ensure their satisfaction,” the spokesman said.
“I’ve been looking forward to a cut in the call rates and am now immensely pleased,” Iqbal Quraishi, a 45-year-old Pakistani hotel executive said. “The cut by up to 50 percent, although surprising, is welcome,” he added.
Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, a member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said: “The cut ought to have come much before. Anyway better late than never. I can now make liberal business calls from Jeddah to other cities.”