Effective July 1, Digicel Jamaica's postpaid customers are being billed on a per second basis at the lower rate of J$2.89 per minute after they have exhausted their bundled packages.

Under a J$1,000 bundled package, postpaid customers get 150 minutes monthly, which works out to about J$5 per minute, billed on a per second basis.

In an advisory to customers, the company says no sign up is necessary under what it describes as Digicel’s sweet postpaid plan.

The rate will be charged at J$2.89 per minute, a rate similar to that applicable to prepaid customers under a separate promotion.

The distinction is that postpaid customers will be billed on a per second basis, while prepaid customers will be billed per minute.

On June 15, LIME announced a dramatic reduction in mobile phone call rates. LIME's cross-network rate was reduced from J$12 to J$6.99 per minute, billed on a per second basis for prepaid and post-paid customers.

LIME’s on-network rates was also reduced – from J$8 to J$2.99 and J$1.99 for prepaid and postpaid customers respectively, all billed on a per second basis.

Digicel followed suit on June 22, cutting rates to J$2.89 per minute for Digicel to Digicel calls and J$6.99 to call other networks, but billing was changed from per second to per minute for prepaid customers.

The reduction in call rates coincided with the Office of Utilities Regulation setting interim interconnection rates at J$5 from J$9 per minute, effective July 15, and followed an earlier amendment to the Telecommunications Act.

marcella.scarlett@gleanerjm.com