As Uganda moves towards increased digital penetration, telecom companies like Airtel and MTN have made remarkable efforts in recent months to see to it that they can provide affordable data rates to customers. Both companies have introduced bundles that do not expire that is the MTN freedom bundles and Airtel chillax bundles. This simply means the bundles do not have a stipulated time period to expire like the normal bundles.
The mobile data for these bundles only expires when the data is actually done giving the customer the ability to utilize the data for as long as they want to.
Also read: MTN Uganda unveils product that allows you to create your own bundles – Cr8YoBundle
In this article, we shall take a look at the offers from both companies. First, we take a look at the MTN freedom bundles which were unveiled in 2019, the first of their kind in Uganda at the time. The announcement excited many of the telco’s customers as they could finally enjoy data bundles that don’t expire.
The company then went ahead to revamp these bundles where they introduced more options for data packages this year. Read more: MTN launches new MTN Freedom bundles in fresh packages
Airtel Uganda launched the chillax bundles in May. Just like the freedom bundles, these bundles too do not expire after a stipulated period and only get done when the bundles have been depleted. Before we look at the differences, lets take a look at a few similarities.
Read also: Airtel Uganda unveils chillax bundles that do not expire
Both bundles do not expire.
Like we discussed previously and also what is the entire aim of the bundles, is that they do not expire after a certain period of time. They only expire once the package has been depleted. This gives customers the opportunity to stay connected to the internet for as long as they need to since they are in control of how the data gets used.
Chillax bundles vs Freedom bundles
| Volume bundles | MTN Freedom bundles price (UGX) | Airtel Chillax bundles price (UGX) |
| 6MB | 100 | – |
| 80MB | 1000 | – |
| 1GB | 5000 | – |
| 1.5GB | – | 7,500 |
| 4GB | 15,000 | – |
| 4.5GB | – | 16,000 |
| 7GB | 25,000 | 25,000 |
| 15GB | 50,000 | 50,000 |
| 40GB | 100,000 | 100,000 |
Number of packages
When we compare the number of packages, MTN has packages that start as low as 6MBs and the highest being 40GB. The small packages provide alternatives for customers when they can’t afford the huge bundles that might seem expensive or might not need so much data but want to be connected to the internet for a while.
When we look at Airtel bundles, its lowest bundle is 1.5GB which leaves users with no option in the event that they want a smaller bundle or can’t afford one of the larger ones.
Rates
Rates are very crucial and one of the most important aspects that customers look at when choosing what data bundle to purchase. People have complained of the high expenses they incur as they purchase data and this is one of the challenges these bundles try to eliminate.
Customers can get MTN freedom bundles for as little as UGX 100 and UGX 1000. It provides customers with a diverse range of data bundles to pick from, restricted only by their budget.
The Airtel chillax bundles seem affordable too though in comparison to MTN they turn out to be expensive as the last bundle starts at UGX 7,500. This leaves out customers who seem to have less than the stated amount.
However, the rest of the bundles are sold at the same rate as MTN’s bundles. After comparing the two, MTN takes the lead with freedom bundles that provide more options and lower rates for customers.
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