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The Ghanaian arm of South Africa’s MTN and the UK’s Vodafone have dropped fees on calls and SMSs between Ghana and Ukraine due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis amidst the Russian invasion of the country.
In a statement, MTN Ghana said that they want to ensure that their customers in Ukraine are able to contact their loved ones back at home. The company added that all its customers will benefit from waived calls to and from Ukraine, according to News Ghana.
MTN said that although it does not have operations in Ukraine, it felt compelled to step in and help customers in Ghana and Ukraine in their time of need. The telecommunications company said it had worked with GSMA to ensure that connection between Ghana and Ukraine is much easier.
GSMA is an industry organisation that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide. More than 750 mobile operators are full GSMA members and a further 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem are associate members.
MTN Nigeria also announced similar packages for its Nigerian and Ukrainian customers to make sure that they have a seamless connection.
Vodafone Ghana issued a statement between 28 February and 5 March 2022, announcing a similar package that would be available for that particular period.
“Effective today 28th February 2022 and over the next five days, we are availing free calls and text messages for Vodafone customers trying to get in contact with family and friends in Ukraine. Additionally, Vodafone Ghana is offering free roaming services (calls, text messages, and internet) for any of our customers who remain in Ukraine,” Vodafone said in a statement to its customers.
“We hope and pray that our customers and their loved ones remain safe during this challenging period,” the telecommunications company added.
In addition, Vodafone also offered free calls and SMS services in Europe to and from Ukraine.
Several other telecom companies in other parts of the world also waived calls from and to Ukraine. T-Mobile, a mobile communications subsidiary of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG, waived international long-distance and international roaming charges for calls and text messaging made from and to US and Ukraine.
US-based Verizon said it’s waiving voice and text roaming charges for customers in Ukraine.
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