Gambling data brokers dragged out of business as new Airtel Me2U rules commence

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By Nickson Maberi

Airtel Uganda recently announced new impinging changes on Tugabane airtel services leaving social media awash with whines from netizens.

Also read: How to get in touch with the Airtel Uganda customer care number

These drastic changes have spared no one and among those with serious blisters are data brokers. Cheap data providers, as they are commonly known, have become cheap as their services are now rendered useless.

If you are acquainted with using WhatsApp, I am certain you have seen messages making rounds informing users of the availability of data bundles at cheaper costs. Yes, those are data brokers. They buy data from service providers and sell it out to you.

Data brokers: Their work methodology

Data brokers have been stocking data bundles in bulk and sell them out to clients at cheaper costs compared to that offered by the service provider.

Below are the prices of data bundles as sold by data brokers.

According to the new Airtel Me2U rules, customers, data brokers inclusive, can only share a maximum of 500MB. This means that one cannot buy a GB of data or even more from data brokers as their system is largely dependent on ME2U services.

Another impinging change is that customers can’t share data thrice a day, totalling an average of ninety per month, as the case was before. With this new rule, customers can only share data ten times (maximum) monthly.

All these changes leave data brokers with only one option left: quitting the business. With the exit of data brokers, netizens are bound to feel the impact grossly. 

Many times, a user had made it a custom to buy data from brokers and not service providers because of the cost fairness that came with it.

Read also: Airtel Uganda’s Vast Network campaign strives for better connectivity

FREAKY FRIDAY BECOMES FREAKY.

Another change is that on the Airtel Freaky Friday bundle. Airtel customers with effect from 21 July will not be able to share (Tugabane) their Freaky Friday, Freaky holiday or daily bundle. However, the gift option for the same services is still available. Therefore instead of adding one onto your freaky bundle, you can instead buy/gift them their own which is obviously a bit costly.

Read more: Why customers are not happy with Airtel freaky Friday offer

Read more: Experts from Airtel Uganda webinar urge Ugandans to leverage savings and loans for growth

READ: The Future is Female Mentorship Programme selects 25 female-founded tech startups