Tigo launches free WhatsApp messaging service

By The guardian team

Tigo senior officials led by General Manager Diego Gutierrez (C), wearing masks during the launch of the free WhatsApp service to its customers at a Dar es Salaam hotel on Tuesday night.

 

 SMART phone subscribers of MIC Tanzania Limited which trades locally as Tigo can now access WhatsApp services free of charge.

 

Launching the product in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday evening, Tigo General Manager, Diego Gutierrez said it’s the first time that a mobile phone service company is offering the social media service free of charge in the domestic market. 

 

Gutierrez said all its 10 million clients subscribing to the company’s weekly and monthly internet bundles will have access to the free WhatsApp service. 

 

“From now onwards, all Tigo customers buying any of our weekly or monthly packages will be eligible to enjoy free WhatsApp. This of course, is for customers with data enabled devices,” the General Manager noted.

 

Gutierrez further noted that, “Free WhatsApp service to our customers demonstrates our commitment in promoting digital lifestyle transformation and leadership in delivering cutting-edge technology and innovation.”

WhatsApp text messaging service has over eight million users in Tanzania and over a billion globally. In order to access the free service, Tigo subscribers will have to subscribe to a weekly or monthly internet data bundle.

 

WhatsAppis a sister application to Facebook, the social network that Tigo partnered with in 2014 to become the first telecommunication company in the country to give its customers free Facebook access in Kiswahili. 

Tigo has pioneered innovations such as Facebook in Kiswahili, TigoPesa App &iOS users, Tigo Music (Deezer) and East Africa’s first cross-border mobile money transfer with currency conversion.  

 

The Tigo 3G networks guarantees the best services to its subscriber’s in all regions across the country. In 2015 Tigo launched 4G LTE network in Dar es Salaam and selected regions with plans to become available all over the country in 2017.  

 

“In the past three years the company has launched over 500 network sites bringing to over 2000 the total of its network sites. It plans to double its investment by 2017 in terms of coverage and additional capacity networks for deeper penetration in rural areas,” Guttierrez said.

 

The company employs directly and indirectly an estimated 300,000 people locally including customer service representatives, mobile money merchants, sales agents and distributors.

 

Tigo is the biggest commercial brand of Millicom, an international company developing the digital lifestyle in 12 countries with commercial operations in Africa and Latin America and corporate offices in Europe and the USA. 

 

Millicom focuses on innovation to maintain its digital lifestyle leadership and create greater shareholder value in some of the most unique and challenging markets globally.