The Saudi Telecom Company announced yesterday that it was slashing from tomorrow (Dec. 5) charges of SAWA to SAWA local calls by 29 percent from SR1.2 to 85 halalas per minute and by 16.5 percent (from SR1.2 to SR1.00) for local calls outside the network including land phones and Etisalat network. Saud ibn Majed Al-Duwaish, vice chairman of STC and head of ALJAWAL (mobile phone network), said the company would also cut installation fee for ordinary and family mobiles from SR100 to SR50 and reinstallation fee for mobiles from SR100 to SR50. Local SMS rates will be brought down from 50 halalas to 25 halalas and international SMS from 70 to 60 halalas, he added. Duwaish also announced the launch of new SAWA recharge cards in SR50 and SR300 denominations. The SR300 recharge card will have a validity of 12 months, specifically six months for sending and 12 months for receiving, and will credit the customer's account with 11 percent free call units. The SR50 card will have a validity of ten days. "The new cuts are offered by ALJAWAL as part of a regular revising of service charges in order to reduce the cost of users and attract clients," Duwaish said. --MORE 1110 Local Time 0810 GMT
