Mobile data deals compared

Vodacom recently unveiled their best ever data deals. This is how it stacks up against MTN, Cell C and 8ta’s data promotions.

Vodacom has recently launched three new data deals – 1GB for R89, 2GB for R139 and 3GB for R189. These data bundles exclude a modem.

The new data deals are available on a 24-month contract, and includes ‘Night Owl’ data which gives another 1GB, 2GB or 3GB of data (depending on the package), to use between midnight and 5 am.

These new data bundles complement the company’s modem inclusive data packages at R99 for 1GB, R149 for 2GB and R199 for 3GB.

This raises the question of how Vodacom’s new modem-less data packages compare with similar contract promotions from 8ta, Cell C and MTN.

The following table provides an overview of some of the prominent data promotions from the four mobile operators.

Data deals under R100
Provider	Bonus	Data	Monthly cost
Cell C	–	500MB	R45
MTN	Includes modem	500MB	R69
Vodacom	1GB night owl data	1GB	R89
Cell C	–	2GB	R99
MTN	Includes modem	1GB	R99
R100 to R149
Vodacom	2GB night owl data	2GB	R139
MTN	Includes modem	2GB	R149
8ta (prepaid)	1GB night surfer data	2GB	R149
R150 to R199
Vodacom	3GB night owl data	3GB	R189
8ta	–	10GB	R199

Mobile broadband pricing comparison

Rudolph Muller / MyBroadband

Cell C has cut its mobile broadband prices by over 50% while MTN and 8ta has extended their mobile data promotions.

Cell C has slashed the price of their 500MB and 2GB postpaid data packages and their 24GB prepaid SIM products. The postpaid price cuts were in excess of 50%.

Cell C’s price cuts followed announcements from MTN and 8ta that they have extended their 2GB prepaid data and GoBig promotions respectively.

Vodacom is also currently running a mobile broadband promotion for contract subscribers, offering them a 1GB data package and modem for R99 and 2GB and a modem for R149 per month.

This raises the question of how the different mobile broadband promotions compare on price and who offers the best deal.

The table below provides an overview of some of the prominent mobile broadband promotions in South Africa.

Provider	Data (GB)	Modem included	After hous data	OOB price	Price (Rand)
500MB data contract
Cell C	0.5	No	0	0.39	49
Cell C	0.5	Yes	0	0.39	69
Vodacom	0.5	Yes	1	1.00	149
MTN	0.5	Yes	0	0.38	189
1GB data contract
Vodacom	1	Yes	1	1.00	99
Cell C	1	Yes	0	0.39	199
MTN	1	Yes	0	0.29	289
2GB data contract
Cell C	2	No	0	0.39	99
Cell C	2	Yes	0	0.39	119
Vodacom	2	Yes	2	1.00	149
MTN	2	Yes	0	0.29	149
Provider	Data (GB)	Modem included	After hous data	OOB price	Price (Rand)
10GB data contract
8ta	10	No	0	0.30	199
8ta	10	No	10	0.30	299
Vodacom	10	Yes	10	0.50	1449
2GB prepaid data bundles
8ta	2	No	1	1.00	149
MTN	2	No	0	0.19	189
Vodacom	2	No	0	2.00	369
Prepaid 12 month package
Cell C	24	No	0	0.39	1299
8ta	60	No	60	1.00	1800

Online support: Who sucks and who doesn’t

Rudolph Muller

February 23, 2012

14 Comments

We put Telkom, Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Virgin Mobile and Neotel’s online support systems to the test

Telkom and Vodacom came out tops in a recent MyBroadband survey which set out to test the online support channels of South Africa’s largest telecoms operators.

MyBroadband sent all the operators a simple request for information on slow broadband speeds, asking them for feedback on how to address the issue. The operators were asked to respond via e-mail (and hence not telephonically).

Here are the results.

Telkom (support e-mail sent on 11:35 on 21 February 2012)
Telkom immediately responded with an automated e-mail message confirming receipt of the e-mail and providing me with a reference number.
At 12:14 (hence only 40 minutes after the initial e-mail was sent) Telkom officially responded to the e-mail and provided the details needed to resolve the issue.

Vodacom (web support form completed 11:23 on 21 February 2012)
Vodacom immediately replied with an automated e-mail with the message “We are looking into your query and one of our consultants will contact you within 24 hours”. The e-mail also contained a reference number.
At 14:57 (3 hours 29 minutes after the initial e-mail) Vodacom officially responded with all the details to solve the problem.

MTN (web support form completed 11:28 on 21 February 2012)
MTN’s online support system does not have an auto-response system, and the company also did not respond to the online support request by the time of publication.

Cell C (web support form completed 11:31 on 21 February 2012)
Cell C responded immediately via an automated e-mail saying “We have received your query. One of our support staff will contact you shortly if necessary.” This is however where it stopped and there was no feedback from Cell C by the time of publication.

Virgin Mobile (web support form completed 11:41 on 21 February 2012)
Virgin Mobile immediately responded via an automated system, saying “Thank you for contacting Virgin Mobile SA Technical Support Team. We are eager to assist you and will be calling you in the next 4 hours.”
There was unfortunately no feedback from Virgin Mobile within the promised 4 hours, and by the time of publication the company still had not responded to the online support request.

Neotel (website was down and therefore no online support was available)
During the time of testing the Neotel website was down. It was therefore not possible to test Neotel’s online support.

*Please note that MyBroadband only tracked e-mail responses (we asked specifically to be contacted via e-mail), and there may have been calls directed at the numbers provided in the emails.

Email support test
Company	Auto responder	Official response	Time to resolve issue
Telkom	Yes	Yes	40 minutes
Vodacom	Yes	Yes	3 hours 29 minutes
Cell C	Yes	No	Not solved
Virgin Mobile	Yes	No	Not solved
MTN	No	No	Not solved
Neotel	Website down	Website down	Website down

Data usage: Smartphones vs dongles « Broadband « MyBroadband Tech and IT News

Rudolph Muller

January 2, 2012

0 Comments

Vodacom provides insight into the data usage patterns and growth on its network.

Over the last twelve months the data consumed by smartphones increased tenfold on the Vodacom network while data used by dongles only showed moderate growth.

This is one of the surprising revelations made by Vodacom CEO Pieter Uys who addressed the media at an event in Sandton.

Uys revealed that the average data consumed by mobile broadband dongles grew from 500MB to 550MB year-on-year. This translates into a 10% yearly growth in data usage on dongles.

Smartphone data usage in comparison grew by 100% over the same period – up from 40MB per month to the current 80MB per month.

Another interesting statistic is that the ratio of dongle/smartphone data usage on the Vodacom network changed from 80/20 last year to the current 60/40.

The reason for this strong smartphone data usage is twofold: there are far more smartphones on the Vodacom network and smartphone users are consuming significantly more data.

Vodacom currently has 1.1 million data dongles on its network, up from 1 million a year ago. In comparison Vodacom has 4.1 million active smartphones on their network.

Uys added that he expects the strong growth in smartphone uptake to continue, especially with the price of Android devices dipping well below R1,000 each.

MTN slashed uncapped broadband pricing « Broadband « MyBroadband Tech and IT News

Staff Writer

July 7, 2011

7 comments

MTN has enhanced its uncapped internet packages with effect from 1 July 2011 with significant price cuts

MTN today (7 July 2011) announced that it has enhanced its uncapped internet packages with effect from 1 July 2011 “in response to its customers’ demands for faster and reliable internet access at an affordable fixed monthly cost”.

MTN’s uncapped mobile broadband services are not new, but the value has been substantially enhanced.
The pricing for MTN’s Broadband Uncapped Lite package has been reduced from R749 to R299 and MTN Broadband Uncapped Pro is down from R1,999 to R899.

The two packages will be subject to a fair usage policy of 3GB and 10GB respectively and will be available on a 24-month contract.

Serame Taukobong, MTN South Africa Chief Marketing Officer said: “The substantial investment that MTN has made in undersea cables and the fibre optic network has seen increased broadband capacity and a surge in data appetite. By bringing this value add to our customers we hope they enjoy the seamless experience that comes with being on MTN’s world class network.”

MTN explains that the fair use policies have been put in place to ensure the integrity of the network and that the consumer experience is seamless.

“Once the 3GB and or 10GB fair use limit has been reached, the connection speed will be reduced to 128kbps for the user for the remainder of the month. Users will still be able to access the internet and download content, it will just take a bit longer,” MTN explained.

The packages will be sold with the MTN Sh@reLink WiFi internet router.

Depending on the capability and capacity of the MTN network and capability of the modem or router, MTN subscribers can connect at speeds of up to 21.1Mbps.

“They will only be limited by their device capabilities and network capacity. MTN has recently completed the roll out of its 14.4Mbps network in all 3G covered areas and is currently busy rolling out an even faster broadband network with speeds of up 21.1Mbps in high demand areas,” MTN said.

“MTN is committed to providing fast broadband network access even in outlying areas in South Africa and will be announcing plans soon on how we will achieve this. This is part of one of our key objectives to provide all consumers with the best broadband service in South Africa at an affordable cost,” said Taukobong.

MTN Broadband Uncapped Lite and Pro are available on a 24 month contract in MTN Stores nationwide.

MWeb offers bundled DSL, 3G | TechCentral

— Staff reporter, TechCentral
 
MWeb has teamed up with MTN to offer consumers two product bundles that include both fixed digital subscriber line (DSL) and 3G broadband access for a single, monthly fee.

The company has created two bundles. The first consists of a 384kbit/s DSL data package with a 2GB cap and a 2GB MTN 3G package and costs R199/month. The second, aimed at the higher end of the market, includes an uncapped 384kbit/s data package and an “Uncapped Lite” MTN 3G package for R499/month.

MTN’s “Uncapped Lite” allows users 3GB of 3G data per month at full connection speeds, and access to 3G at severely throttled speeds thereafter.

Both packages include an ADSL router and a USB 3G modem. Customers will have access to a 2GB mailbox, 5GB of online file storage and free uncapped hosting for a year.

Derek Hershaw, CEO of MWeb’s Internet service provider business, says it is increasingly necessary for consumers to remain connected to the Internet both at home and on the move.
The bundles are available on a month-to-month basis, with no minimum subscription period.

8ta ‘Project Hulk’ data special « Broadband « MyBroadband Tech and IT News

June 23, 2011

8ta today announced the launch of a 10GB data bundle at R199 per month and 10GB + 10GB data special at R299 per month

8ta today (23 June 2011) launched a data promotion which significantly undercuts any other mobile broadband offering currently available on the SA market.

8ta launched two data products, a 10GB data bundle priced at R199 per month and a 10GB + 10GB Midnight Surfer service priced at R299 per month. Both services are available on 24 month contracts.

8ta’s 10GB + 10GB service offers subscribers 10GB of data per month, with another 10GB of data from
00:00 to 05:00.

8ta’s new pricing is significantly more aggressive than Vodacom, Cell C and MTN’s 2GB promotions priced at R149 per month. It also undercuts Cell C’s 5GB per month data offering priced at R299 per month on contract.

8ta’s new promotion is jokingly referred to as the ‘Project Hulk’ special because of the aggressive pricing.
The following table provides an overview of the most prominent mobile broadband promotions available today.

Mobile Data Contracts
	Standard data	After hours data	Price	Basic Cost/MB	Lowest Cost/MB
8ta 10GB + 10GB	10GB	10GB	R299	R0.019	R0.014
8ta 10GB	10GB	–	R199	R0.019	R0.019
Vodacom 2GB + 2GB (modem inc)	2GB	2GB	R149	R0.073	R0.036
Cell C (modem inc)	5GB	–	R299	R0.058	R0.058
Cell C 2GB (modem inc)	2GB	–	R149	R0.073	R0.073
MTN 2GB (modem inc)	2GB	–	R149	R0.073	R0.073

The new 8ta promotion is a data-only special where subscribers have the option of either using their own modem or purchasing a modem from 8ta. 8ta’s price for a 7.2Mbps modem is R349 while a 21Mbps costs R699.

Out of bundle data is priced at 30c per MB.

Users should note that this offer is only available on the 8ta network, and not on MTN roaming.

The promotion kicks off on Sunday, 26 June 2011, and will only be available for a limited period.

Carriers crack down on wireless tethering app for Android

By Mike Isaac, wired.com

US carriers have started blocking an app that allows Android smartphone users free wireless tethering for other Web-ready devices.

The application, “Wireless Tether for Root Users,” is still available on the Android Market. But if you have a phone that’s on the Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile networks, you won’t be able to download or install it.

Try and access the app from the Android Market, and when prompted to choose which device on which to install it, you’ll only be able to select Sprint-carried devices or WiFi only products.

Wired.com attempted to install the application on a number of devices, and was only able to do so on a Sprint-carried Evo 4G and Galaxy Tab, as well as WiFi-only products. Our Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T devices were unable to receive the app for installation.

A spokesperson from Verizon confirmed the application is not available to Verizon Wireless customers. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

If you’ve rooted your Android phone, using it as an Internet hotspot for your other devices is one of its biggest perks. When nary an Internet-enabled cafe is nearby, apps like Wireless Tether allow you to use your phone’s 4G, 3G or 2G data connection to access the Web from another connected (or “tethered”) device, like your laptop or WiFi-only tablet.

The best part: you bypass the monthly fee that most carriers charge for wireless tethering on devices (the standard monthly charge for wireless tethering across the big four US carriers is $30).

That’s why blocking the application makes sense in terms of a carrier’s bottom line. Missing out on that extra cash while its customers consume its precious bandwidth for free isn’t attractive to carriers.

This sort of interference isn’t anything new. After being fed up with jailbreaking iPhone owners who used similar apps to tether for free, AT&T decided to call their bluff. In March, the company started sending warning messages and then automatically billing customers who were suspected of using unofficial tethering apps. AT&T said it would not charge for the service only if a customer immediately stopped using his or her unofficial tethering app.

To the resourceful Android phone owner, these carrier actions won’t be a huge problem. Although the app won’t be available through the official Android Market, you can go directly to the developers’ site and sideload the program onto your device. And if you’ve rooted your device and have a mod like Cyanogen 7.0 installed, there’s already a wireless tethering option built into the program interface, eliminating the need to download another app.

The fastest, cheapest broadband now in Gauteng

Hilton Tarrant Moneyweb | 19 November, 2010

The launch of Cell C's super-fast network in Gauteng should force prices down.

The past ten weeks have been an anomaly. It's not often that service companies, especially mobile operators, launch a new service outside of the economic hub of South Africa.

Cell C did though. The choice of Port Elizabeth as its launch city for its new 4Gs high-speed 21.6Mbps HSPA+ network was somewhat unexpected, but it gave Cell C a fairly controlled test environment. Rumours of network rollout hurdles in Gauteng meant Bloemfontein, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town, George, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Richards Bay and Emalahleni (Witbank) followed.

Finally, the operator has gone live in the market where it's really going to make a difference. For one, Vodacom, MTN and newcomer 8ta will notice.

The launch pricing is staggering. Cell C boss Lars P Reichelt won't say how long its launch offer will remain in place, but given its aggressive pricing, we may yet see more aggressive moves in the next 12 months.

You will simply not find pricing even remotely comparable to this in the market, even on DSL services if you calculate the total cost of ownership:

Click on the link above to read the whole article to get the tables and pricing.......

Mobile data: out of bundle rates compared

by Christo van Gemert, ITWeb journalist
Johannesburg, 18 Nov 2010

Cell C has the cheapest, all-inclusive data bundles in SA, available on its new high-speed HSPA+ network. However, consumers looking to use more data than their bundle allows will pay the highest rates in the country.

While its bundled prices are extremely competitive, the out-of-bundle rate – charges for each megabyte transferred outside the stipulated cap – are the highest. Cell C charges a flat rate of 39c per megabyte out of bundle.

Out of bundle rates

Vodacom has a tiered system for its out-of-bundle charges. Customers on the Vodacom Broadband package will be charged R1.20 per megabyte when on the MyGig 2.3GB bundle, and 50c for those on the MyGig 5GB bundle.

Alternatively, Vodacom's Broadband Advanced offers the same in-bundle and out-of-bundle rates. In this case, the MyGig 2 and MyGig 5 bundles have rates of 19c and 18c respectively.

MTN's 2GB bundle boasts the same out-of-bundle rates as Vodacom: 19c per megabyte. It lacks a 5GB product, instead offering an “Uncapped Lite” bundle with a fair use policy of 3GB. This costs R749 a month, and has no out-of-bundle rate.

Telkom's 8ta also boasts lower rates than Cell C. Both its Internet 2 (1.5GB) and Internet 3 (3.2GB) packages have a flat rate of 30c per megabyte, out of bundle.

Brian Neilson, director of telecommunications research at BMI-TechKnowledge, says the importance of an out-of-bundle rate depends on the type of customer and how much they want to use.

“If they're low-end users, it's not going to matter at all because they'll almost never go out of bundle,” he says, citing research that shows most South Africans don't even use up 3GB of data.

For more demanding users, Neilson adds, that they should be fine “as long as they get fair warning before they go out of bundle, and are able to take advantage of larger bundles”.

Cell C does not offer any bolt-on package to top up a data bundle before the end of the month. The same is true for 8ta. Users have no option but to pay the high out-of-bundle rate, or to purchase an additional SIM card with the cheaper data.

MTN and Vodacom allow customers to top up when their data quota has been met or exceeded.

Icasa under fire over spectrum auction | TechCentral

A top regulatory expert has lambasted the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) over its planned auction of spectrum for wireless broadband services, saying the process is deeply flawed.

Dominic Cull of Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions says there are a number of serious flaws in the process of licensing spectrum in the valuable 2,6GHz and 3,5GHz bands.

Cull’s concerns should be taken seriously, especially given the strategic economic importance of the frequency in question. The mobile operators, for one, stand to make billions of rand from selling services in these new bands.

There’s likely to a particularly wild scramble for spectrum in the 2,6GHz band, where operators will be able to build networks of national scope.

Click on the link above to read more....

Flat rate: Can’t live, with or without it

May 19, 2010 Written by James Middleton

Ken Wirth, president LTE and 4G networks at Alcatel-Lucent
Services and applications need to be launched in conjunction with LTE infrastructure, so the telecoms industry doesn’t experience the same problems it faced with the deployment of 3G – years of carrying voice applications eventually resulting in network issues when data finally took off.

The warning came from Ken Wirth, president LTE and 4G networks at Alcatel-Lucent, who was speaking at the LTE World Summit in Amsterdam on Wednesday. “We need one common set of infrastructure that drives one common set of services, and we need quality of service (QoS) across the entire network infrastructure, not just spectrum and the uplink and downlink, but across every element of the network, so we can drive new applications and voice over IP in an IMS powered way,” Wirth said.

To read more click on the link above......

Vodacom unveils low-cost Linux netbook | TechCentral

Cellphone group Vodacom is making a play into the netbook market. On Tuesday, it unveiled a low-cost compact computer, the Linkbook, that it says is designed specifically to provide users, especially first-time computer buyers, with “simple and affordable Internet access”.

The Ubuntu Linux-powered laptop, which comes bundled with 300MB/month of data and which costs R199/month on a 24-month contract, features e-mail and office productivity tools. The OpenOffice suite, a free alternative to Microsoft Office, is included on the machine.

To read more click on the link above....