Orange has unveiled a two-month offer of 1 Kenyan shilling (US$0.01) per minute for calls within the Orange network. The offer ends on Dec. 8 and is calculated to increase the network's number of subscribers. SMS (short message service) across all networks will also be charged at the rate of 1 shilling per message.

"It is an appeal to customers to join our network and help us achieve our growth target," said Dominique Saint-Jean, CEO of Telkom Kenya, which owns Orange.

"Within the next two months, subscribers will be in a position to test the superiority of our network and call back with feedback," added Njeri Rionge, Telkom Kenya chief marketing officer..

While dismissing allegations that Orange is taking the price war to a new level, Saint-Jean said that Orange has no direct competitor, as it offers bundled services through nationwide infrastructure.

"As an integrated solutions provider, we have inspired single-service providers to begin to focus more on what customers want, and we are pleased to have raised the bar," Saint-Jean said.