National mobile service provider, Mobitel together with Sri Lanka State Trading (General) Corporation (STC) announced that all customers who subscribed to its Upahara package and customers who wish to acquire Upahara are now entitled to nominate five loved ones to receive ‘Senehase’ Upahara connections and a 3.5G high speed internet connection.
‘Senehase’, which builds on the Upahara post-paid package, enables customers to enjoy low call rates. Highlights of the Senehase Upahara package includes 50-minute free video calls within Mobitel network and outgoing voice/video calls for as low as 50 cents and SMS for 25 cents within the Senehase group. Outgoing voice/video calls to other Mobitel numbers is Rs 1 per minute and SMS 75 cents per message. Monthly rental is as low as Rs 50 per line
Speaking at the occasion Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Services said, “I hope that the state sector employees take full advantage of the added benefits of this new ‘Senehasa’ Upahara package”. He added, “As national bodies, both STC and Mobitel have once again worked closely to develop this package to offer a host of benefits to the state sector, pensioners and the clergy”.
The Minister also noted that it was significant that ‘Senehase’ Upahara was launched on World’s Children’s Day, as the package itself presented children and parents, who have left their homes to settle elsewhere, the opportunity to stay connected with each other. He further stated that subscribers to the Upahara package spend less than Rs 240 per month.
Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, Chairperson of Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel said, “together with STC, Mobitel has come forward to further enhance the benefits of Upahara customers as a mark of gratitude for their patronage”. She added, “in keeping with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s declaration of year 2009 as the national year for ICT and English, we have also introduced an economically priced data package for all Upahara users”.
She went on to explain that since it’s introduction in August 2008, the Upahara package had gained much popularity and as a result of this, steps were taken to further strengthen the package.
The new package will further strengthen Upahara’s aims of bringing mobile telephony within reach of hundreds of thousands of state sector employees and pensioners located across the island by continuously driving down their monthly expenses and uplifting living standards.
Pradeep Gunawardana, Chairman, STC said, “STC aims to provide the state sector employees and retired personnel, opportunities to better their standard of living and this package is expected to help keep their families connected and thereby foster unity at a greatly reduced cost which we have been able to bring about in partnership with Mobitel.”
He added, “both – STC and Mobitel – are happy to announce that during the past year we have been able to achieve all our goals. The package saw two government institutions coming together, thus paving the way for a new partnership and with it provide a beneficial service to state sector employees. We were also able to save on foreign exchange.”
The first Senehase Upahara package was presented to Minister Gunawardena.
