Why didn't the price war take place in 2003 or 2004?

The last three months have been the best for Kenyan mobile phone users, providing the most vicious price war between Safaricom and Celtel.

Prices have come down; Safaricom offered free talk time during the nights; Celtel offered unlimited talk time during the day on similar terms. Of course, Safaricom's offer faded after the system got congested, and Celtel has not reaped many benefits because most people are locked in Safaricom.

Consumers love the price war: It's friendly to the pocket!

However, the antagonism between the two companies has also proved that they have maintained the high cost of calls for no apparent reason. Why had they not done it five years ago?

Of course, there is the excuse of the 26 percent tax that has been used as an excuse for so long!

What changed? Has the tax been scrapped?

There is also the question of the new entrants, Orange and Econet. They will want to challenge the domination of the top two, and they have suddenly realized that Kenyans will move to the competition.

If the government had indicated in 2003 that they would license two other GSM companies, prices would have come down then, regardless of the taxes.