LIME drops JA$2.99 Talk EZ to All Networks as Digicel promises something Bigger

“We expect that this all-time low rate is going to give consumers who are now sitting on the fence the best incentive to come over to the new value network”

CEO Garfield Sinclair in a WebCast from LIME Headquarters in Carlton Crescent

A week has not fully passed since the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) made their announcement of a Cross-Network Rate decline from JA$5.00 per minute to JA$1.10 per minute, a JA$3.90 decline as chronicled in my blog article “OUR sets Cross-Network Rates at JA$1.10 as of Saturday July 1 2013 - Everything is Possible as we’re Zombies for Data World War Z”. 

By Thursday June 6^th June 2013, Telecom Provider LIME announced they’ve be dropping their rates, which they planned to announce via a Streaming Video on Facebook as stated in the article “LIME to make 'major announcement' via social media”, published Wednesday, June 05, 2013 4:21 PM, The Jamaica Observer. 

Guess I was wrong, as it turned out to be just an overhyped re-launch of the Talk EZ Calling Plan as previously described in my blog article entitled “LIME's new TALK EZ Plan drops Cross Network Calling to JA$2.99 - Digicel's Game of Thrones vs LIME Return of the King” with the rate now set at JA$2.99 per minute and the added JA$1.80 being for Telecom Taxes.

Prepaid rates have now fallen to JA$2.99 per minute for Prepaid via activation using *123*1# to activate, just like the previous Talk EZ Plan.

However, there are some significant differences in that this new MBR (Mobile Termination Rate) applies to all Cross-Network Calling, including International Calls, which are Cross-Network, as they terminate on Telecom Providers in another country.

So that’s something interesting, as that means you can basically throw away your Magic Jack, Fring, Skype and  Google Voice VoIP Calling Packages  as described in my blog article entitled “Google and Google Voice - The World is Not Enough” and associated US number.

Despite still being more expensive, you can use Talk EZ on any mobile phone. It doesn’t have to be a smartphone running a VoIP App and you don’t have to go postpaid. As an additional plus, the lower pricing now means Postpaid Rates, soon to be announced by Telecom Provider LIME, will make more serious mobile phone users interested in switching to a postpaid plan.

Postpaid would be cheaper in order to take advantage of MNP (Mobile Number Portability) come May 2014 as opined in my blog article entitled “JA$2.00 Cross-Network Rates by Saturday June 1st 2013 - Design Homogenous Networks, more Contract and Postpaid Plans and avoid Voice Services Hangover Part III”. 

All this is now official news as reported in “LIME reduces rates to $2.99 per minute”, published Thursday, June 06, 2013 11:30 AM, The Jamaica Observer and “It's $2.99 from LIME - Telecoms company rolls out new flat calling rate ahead of competitor”, Published Friday June 7, 2013, by Edmond Campbell, Senior Staff Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

I personally though they’ve launching a counter-offensive to the Digicel DL600 as well as the Blackberry Q10 as per speculation in my blog article entitled “Digicel has launched DL600 and Blackberry Q10 in Jamaica on Thursday 30th 2013 - The Purge of Features phones in a gradual ramp-up towards Data Services and smartphone in Jamaica”.

Still no official word on the Digicel DL600, which seems to have launched elsewhere in the Caribbean save for Jamaica for some unknown reason, despite my prediction of the launch date being spot on as noted in my blog article entitled “Digicel to launch the DL600 smartphone in Jamaica on Thursday 30th or Friday 31st of May 2013 - Digicel DL600 is coming Fast and Furious 6 to make smartphones accessible to all”.

Something tells me Telecom Provider Digicel is not too keen on shaking up its relationship with its smartphone partner Blackberry and Samsung, with whom Telecom Provider Digicel may have signed exclusive contracts to promote their smartphones exclusively. Hence the low key launch of the Blackberry Q10 as can be seen in the photo Gallery in the Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer’s Photo Gallery and only a passing mention of the DL600’s pricing on their Official Website but no Official Press Release.

Telecom Provider Digicel has promised to massive response to Telecom Provider LIME’s Talk EZ as stated in the article “Digicel promises big announcement after LIME call rate cut”, published Thursday June 6, 2013 6:06 pm by Garfield Sinclair, The Jamaica Gleaner. Over the weekend, I saw frenzied lines at both Telecom Provider Digicel and Telecom Provider LIME stores as Jamaicans seek to take advantage of the mobile phone offers.

These offers were specifically the DL600, which is currently out of stock, based on my visits downtown on Saturday 8^th June 2013 with only long lines greeting me in most of the stores.

Even a visit to the Digicel Headquarters proved fruitless, as the security guard had locked the doors of the store to the public, allowing only persons in who were serious about a purchase of the DL600 which was M.I.A everywhere else.

Thus technically speaking, the Digicel DL600 doesn’t exist, as there’s no official Press Release and despite sighting to the contrary, it’s not official being promoted by Digicel, at least not in Jamaica.

Telecom Provider LIME stores also had lines that were very long inside of the stores as people were interested in any phone deals available. But aside from that, the excitement was muted, as aside from the Samsung Galaxy Y, the alternative to the Digicel DL600 as much hoped for in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Samsung Galaxy Y is LIME’s sub-US$100 alternative to the Digicel DL600 smartphone”, no low cost alternatives were official on offer from Telecom Provider LIME.

I’m hoping as the summer drags on, both Telecom Providers will offer more low-budget smartphone sales, despite any contractual obligations they may have with Samsung or Blackberry. It will help to boost the smartphone adoption in Jamaica and thus increase the Telecom Provider bottom line by making more affordable low-cost smartphones like the DL600 available to the masses.

Combined with the OUR mandated lower Cross-Network Calling Rate, it’ll also help to spur an increased interest in 3G Data Plans and Postpaid Plans as prophesied in my blog article entitled “JA$2.00 Cross-Network Rates by Saturday June 1st 2013 - Design Homogenous Networks, more Contract and Postpaid Plans and avoid Voice Services Hangover Part III”.

Telecom Providers can bring The Heat (2013) via lower-priced Smartphones to spur 3G Data and Postpaid Plans.