Once again it is the newcomer amongst the mobile networks that seem to shake up the pricing for 3G in SA.

Local mobile broadband provider, 8.ta has today announced reduced broadband rates for its Once-Off Internet packages as well as its Post-paid Internet packages. In addition to this 8ta has also revised its contract terms which now include month to month, 12 and 24 months terms. The month to month contract excludes a modem while the 12 and 24 months contracts will include a modem.

“Today 8.ta has reduced its broadband pricing, responding to the need for affordable broadband Internet in the South African market. Effectively, 8.ta has tailored these packages to give users the freedom to choose packages that suit their pockets.

“Existing 8.ta Internet subscribers will automatically be migrated to the new price plans, and after their contracts are up for renewal they can also opt to subscribe on a month to month or 12 months contract basis,” says Managing Executive of Telkom Mobile, Amith Maharaj.

Once the monthly recurring Post-paid Internet package has been depleted, users will be charged an out-of-bundle rate of R 0.30 per MB while the Once-off Internet subscribers will be charged an out-of bundle rate of R1.00 per MB. Compare this to other mobile broadband solutions out there that still get charged more. For example Vodacom charges R1 per out of bundle meg for contract users, and R2 (!!!!) for prepaid users.

Post-paid and Once-Off Internet subscribers will also benefit from the following value added services:

• Free 8.ta email account with 5GB mailbox giving users access to 25GB online storage and free access to online Microsoft Office suite, which includes Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Send 5 SMSs daily and receive 50 FREE SMSs to use on that day.
• 8·ta also provides users with a ‘safety net’ to check their balances on the self-service portal and via USSD and make out of bundle purchase decisions in real-time, using the redirect functionality.
• Users will also receive a free call-out and support services with every 3G data modem purchased.

Now we have to wait and see to see if the other cellular networks will match this offering. Post-paid Internet Bundles – Month to Month contract:
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Vodacom today announced a promotion which will see data costs for Prepaid and Top Up customers reduced by 87%. This promotion introduces Vodacom’s lowest per megabyte Prepaid mobile data price of 2.4c.

This data promotion launches on 7 November 2011 and will continue until 9 January 2012.

The price reduction will apply to Broadband Advanced MyGig 20 Prepaid and Top Up once-off data bundles, now priced at R499. The normal retail price of the My Gig 20 Advanced bundle is R3620. The new promotional price gives a saving of R3121.

Chris Ross, Managing Executive: Commercial Development at Vodacom says, “Offering increased value to our customers is our top priority, which is why we’re excited to offer this significant data price reduction to our Prepaid and Top Up customers.  With this promotion, we are providing our customers great value for the festive season.”

All Broadband Advanced MyGig 20 Prepaid and Top Up once-off promotional bundles purchased will be valid until the last day of the next month; thus if a bundle is purchased in November 2011, the bundle will be valid until 31 December 2011 and if the bundle is purchased in December 2011, the bundle will be valid until 31 January 2012. Bundles purchased in January 2012 will be valid until 29 February 2012.

Customers interested in purchasing unlimited Broadband Advanced MyGig 20 promotional bundles can do so through the following Vodacom Prepaid sales channels:

• Dial *111#, free from a Vodacom cellphone and follow the prompts;
• SMS “MyGig 20 Advanced” to 100; or
• Go to vodacom.co.za, click on ‘Sign in to My Account’ to register/login and follow the menu structure to purchase the promotional bundle.
• Multiple bundles may be bought in one month.

8.ta, South Africa’s fourth and newest mobile network operator, is going to market with a big, fast and low cost mobile broadband promotion that will get South Africans using the Internet more. With the lowest mobile broadband rates supported by its new network; 8.ta is living up to its promise to change the mobile communications market.

The new post-paid Internet 5 Promotion offers subscribers a 10GB data bundle at R199 per month with the option of an additional 10GB Midnight Surfer data bundle at R100 per month for use between 12am and 5am. Subscribers in essence, will be getting 20GB’s of data at R299 and will therefore be paying as little as 1.5 cents per MB – the lowest mobile broadband rate available in South Africa, says Amith Maharaj, Managing Executive of Telkom Mobile.

“To mark the launch of our new high speed network 8.ta is “Going Big” with an amazing promotional data offer for a limited time period. Mobile broadband users will agree that the value provided in this offer cannot easily be found anywhere in the world”, Maharaj said.

Maharaj further added that “while the sale of the offer will be for a limited time, it is important to note that customers who sign up will be eligible for the Internet 5 promotional price as well as the Midnight Surfer price for the full 24 months”.

The offer will be available from Sunday, 26 June at 8.ta flagship stores, selected Telkom Direct stores, via the Call Center on 081125, online at www.8ta.com and Nashua Mobile.

With 8.ta’s new data promotion, high monthly subscription is removed as the barrier to entry for first time subscribers while seasoned mobile broadband subscribers will find the price per MB to be extremely attractive. (more…)

Up to now I have avoided signing up for 3G contracts in South Africa – despite being someone who is constantly online. True, I do add data bundles to my cellphone, but the idea of signing away 2 or 3 years to a 3G contract seems silly. It is after all such a competitive industry, why would I want to subscribe to a fixed cost for the next few years?

However, things have started to change in the last few months. It is as if someone lit a cracker underneath the cellular operators in SA – and for once it is not the Vodacom and MTN who is getting all the attention. Up until now Cell C did not really have any presence when it came to mobile broadband in SA, in fact they did not roll out 3G until recently. Clearly their late entry to into the data market has a few advantages.

Cell C uses a different payment approach – instead of signing a 24 or 36 month contract, you pay a once off fee that gives you a certain amount of data every month, for a year. This suits me perfectly – because it means in a year from now I have the freedom of choosing a different 3G service, and not be locked in. This helps Cell C as well, seeing as they can get early payment and thus pay off their investments in new supporting data infrastructure.

Cell C is currently in some trouble because they called their service “4G” up to now – which is technically speaking not true, despite being significantly faster than any other 3G offering locally. The CEO of Cell C made a public apology recently regarding this, but not without driving home the fact that Cell C is faster than even 4G networks in the US…. My opinion is that if the product works, I dont mind the name…

Currently Cell C has 2 offers using this payment model:

2GB a month for 12 months, using the included 7.2 mbps modem, for R1499.

5GB a month for 12 months, using the included 21.6 mbps modem, for R2999.

You can also buy it without the modem for somewhat less. My advice – get the modem, because there are not a lot of modems available locally which can access the applicable frequencies that Cell C uses.

Compare this to Vodacom’s current deal which charges R945 pm for 5GB, and you immediately see why this is such a good deal. Vodacom also released their Internet Starter Pack using a similar payment model, but it clearly doesn’t cater to the same higher end market as Cell C.

Included in the bundle is a modem – I used the faster 21.6 mbps one, and it’s a pretty simple looking device. Understated in black and dark brown, it looks good. The setup was easy – insert the SIM card included in the box, push out the USB plug using the slider, and plug it into your machine, be it PC or Mac. Both versions of Cell C’s software is included on the stick. Just a tip Cell C – you might want to make it available on your site, I only see the updated Windows drivers there. It tried it on both platforms.

Now Cell C has a much better deal money wise – but what are the trade offs? Up until now the high speed 3G was only available in certain urban centres, but they have clearly made a big effort to improve their data coverage. For example, I live in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, and in a low lying area that has always had pretty horrific cellular coverage. In fact my Vodacom phone still only gets Edge signal. The Cell C modem gets a full signal and very respectable performance. I also used it in Cape Town and in Bellville, and in all cases I got a full HSPA signal. So lets see how the Cell C network does.

My Speedtest results are as follows:

Local Connections: Cape Town and Johannesburg

International: UK and US

I did these tests with my unshaped 4Mbps ADSL connection as well afterwards, and the speeds were never the same, only reaching 3.5 Mbps maximum of course, but with ever so slightly faster ping times.

The tests were done over the weekend, so your speeds during business hours might differ. I will add them to this post soon. Of course the major concern is whether these speeds will be sustained once more people start using the network – and it is a valid concern. After all, Neotel also had very respectable wireless speeds when they first launched, but quickly that speed disappeared.

So here is what we will do – for the next 12 months I will occasionally post my speed results using the Cell C network, and in a variety of uses. (Update: You can find my first batch Cell C Speedtest results here) Only time will tell whether Cell C can deliver on their promise.

One has to applaud Cell C for the way they are heating up the mobile broadband market – finally some clear competition has arrived after years of very slow price decreases. With all the additional fibre running into SA recently, we have all been promised more affordable internet, and it seems we are inching closer and closer towards that. Cell C is also involved with this fibre rollout with Fibreco. Maybe this means that Cell C will become a dominant player in SA Broadband…

Keep it up Cell C.

Competition is a wonderful thing. Just last week I commented on the lack of competition in the market since 8ta announced their new call and data rates, and finally Vodacom has come out with their guns blazing. But their latest broadband “starter pack” is perhaps rather aimed at Cell C’s offering of either 2GB per 12 months for R1499 once off or the 5GB per 12 month for R2999 (which also gets a faster connection). Both of these include the modems needed.

Vodacom is aiming at the lower end of the market – users will pay only R400 once off, which includes a 3G modem and 100 meg per month for 12 months. While 100 meg might sound like much, this is ideal for very light users of the internet. Users can of course add bundles if the 100 meg runs out. This aimed at either people for whom computing is not a major concern, or people who already have wifi access at home and work, and need something for those times when you are on the road. What I am wondering about as well – does the 100MB included carry over if not used?

What puzzles me as well is that Vodacom can offer this great pricing, yet still asks R88 for 110 MB data bundles? Also – how about more options? 100MB is a bit light in my opinion, and I want to see how Vodacom can compete with Cell C, which is still the best offering for users who want to actually use their computers a bit more on the road.

Source: Mybroadband

Despite 8ta‘s low call costs and reasonable data rates, the thing most people seem to most impressed by is the innovative free call and sms deals. These include:

Well it turns out the first one million customers on 8ta will be getting this for life. How cool is that?

I have already got an 8ta SIM card, and I havent been particularly impressed by how long 8ta has taken to activate the SIM card. I bought it on Monday at 16:00, RICA’d it as well. It was only fully activated on Wednesday at 3PM. They apparently had a backlog of activations.

I am trying it out on a Nokia N8, and so far the signal and data connection speed is very brisk. It locks on mostly to MTN’s network. I will be posting my impressions with 8ta in future as well. Call quality seems fine, but I havent really moved around yet.

The thing that pulled me towards 8ta was the landline calling rates – at 65c per minute all day it is the ideal solution if you do not want to pay for a landline just to make the occasional phone call.

I am however very disappointed that other network operators havent stepped up to the plate. Vodacom dropped their allday calling rate to R1.40 for prepaid, but nothing else really. Maybe they will improve their rates once 8ta announces their contract pricing?

Will keep you posted.

Last night Telkom released the initial pricing for their 8ta mobile network, and boy does it look good. 8ta has a number of small incentives in their prepaid package which immediately makes them the cheapest mobile network in SA.

But first off pricing:

Calls to landlines (this includes Telkom and Neotel) will be 65c per minute, at all times during the day. Calls to another cellphone is R1.50 per minute (this can be to Vodacom, MTN, Cell C or 8ta), again at a flat rate all day. International rate – 8ta will charge R2.50 per minute to more than a 100 countries (isnt that much less than Telkom’s fixed line rates?). What is perhaps more significant is the call incentive that 8ta uses – for every 3 seconds of incoming calls, you get 1 sec to phone out. FINALLY – a reason to keep that telemarketer on the line!

SMSs and MMSs will both be charged at 50c each – but if a customer sends 5 sms’s in a day, they will get 50 free sms’s in a day. Wonder if a person even needs a prepaid SMS bundle with something like that?

Data costs going to be R1 per meg if a user does not use a bundle, which is already half of what Vodacom charges, but their data bundle pricing also seems to improve on existing offerings:

1GB for R250, 500MB for R150, 250MB for R100, 100MB for R50. Great. These can be accessed at 7.2 HSPA, but 8ta might also upgrade to LTE in future.

All these pricing details are just for the prepaid users, so we will have to see how their contract pricing will improve on these even further. (Update: 8ta has now announced their contract pricing) Initially 8ta will use their own network as well as use a roaming agreement using MTN basestations, so clearly the Vodacom Telkom breakup was nasty. So reception should not be a problem.

So only time will tell how Vodacom and MTN will compete with this pricing – if the recent iPhone launch is anything to go by, Vodacom and MTN clearly have some flexibility in their prices. When MTN announced their lower end deal on the iPhone 4, Vodacom had to go and lower their initial iPhone 4 pricing as well 2 days later. Competition is a great thing.

Also, how will 8ta compete with Cell C’s latest mobile broadband offerings? We tested it, and it pretty much blows away the competition in SA.

But I am sure most people are still wondering how on earth Telkom can offer these good deals for mobile, yet their fixed line service pricing has remained overpriced and stagnant. We can only hope that they approach their fixed line business with the same new found vigour…

OK, so you have a brand spanking new iPad 3G, or at least on the way. But you want to get it on a SA cellular network. Sounds simple enough right? Not so fast – there are a few things you need to take note of.

First off, the iPad ships with a new type of sim card slot, which is made for a newer standard, called Micro SIM. It is essentially just a smaller version of the sim card we currently use in our phones, called Mini SIM. If you compare the two, you will see that the Micro SIM doesnt actually use any new circuitry to make it smaller – it just gets rid of even more of the plastic around its edges. Here is a small illustration if you want to see what I am on about.

MicroSIM vs MiniSIM

Now the good news is that Vodacom and MTN pledged to have Micro SIMs available – the major reason being that iPhone 4 also uses it as well, and the need to be ready for that potential cash cow once it reaches our shores. In this piece I will focus on Vodacom, seeing as I am comfortable with them (not always happy though), and I know their product range. First off, you can go to any Vodacom SP shop, and jsut order a Micro SIM. I went to one and they had it ready for me within 3 days, for a cost of R50. Not bad.

Of course there is the DIY approach. You can take a SIM Card and cut the sides so that they fit the new Micro SIM slot. While I can see it not being a very hard job, I cannot say I feel to comfortable doing it, seeing as I dont wont to risk the SIM card getting lost inside the iPad – you cannot simply open it after all. But if you feel confident, good for you!

Another area where the iPad can create some problems is that it doesnt have any type of dial pad, so you are going to need some way to load up data bundles. I know you can get a 3G data contract, but then you are just being a a sucker. Buying data bundles prepaid work out much cheaper, and you have the added benefit of spreading your data costs over 60 days if you plan well enough. So here is the strategy I am using.

1. Buy any Vodacom prepaid SIM card. They go for next to nothing at most supermarkets. Mine cost a princely sum of R1.
2. Take the SIM card, with your ID and a proof of residence to any Vodacom shop. You have to go through RICA in order to activate the SIM.
3. Order a MicroSIM – this will take a few days to arrive. I reckon they will become much faster in future, especially after September when the iPhone 4 is here. Alternatively if you are brave, you can cut the SIM card to fit the iPad.If they have theMicroSIM in stock, hold on, dont activate it yet.
4. Go to Vodacom’s website, and register for their online services. Just click “Register” at the top of the page. Got through the process, they should send you a SMS to confirm, so….
5. Put your normal SIM card in any cellphone, type the PIN, and wait for the SMS to come through. Using that password, log into the Vodacom site.
6. Go to Vodacom, and do the SIM switch to Micro SIM. Put the MicroSIM in the iPad. It might take a few hours to activate.
7. Load credit onto the number. Trick is to get credit where you dont have to phone out or type in any codes. Remember, you cant phone or SMS or type cellular numbers into the iPad. I use ABSA – you can go on Internet Banking and transfer prepaid credit to any number. You can also do it from their ATMs. Many other banks do this as well, as long as they dont give a voucher with PIN code. You want the credit to be automatically loaded.
8. Go to Vodacom’s site again, login, and click on bundles. From there, you have a selection of data bundles to choose from. Just a tip – these bundles last for 60 days. The bundles are also cheaper per meg if you buy larger bundles at once. Example – it makes more sense to buy a 600meg bundle every 60 days than a 300 meg bundle every month. My tip is to buy on the first of a month, and then recharge the bundle every 60 days.
9. On the iPad, go to Settings, General, Network, Cellular Data Network, and then change the APN to: “internet” – without the quotation marks.

And after this exhaustive process you ought to be online. If you want to load more data, just go through steps 7 and 8. Of course you can skip this whole process and get a contract, but thats something I think you are smart enough to avoid. I dont buy data contracts in SA, our prices are still going to fall in the future, and you dont want to be stuck in a 24 month contract. But that just my opinion. You might have a good reason to choose otherwise.

Lets hope Vodacom can also integrate the payment method that other networks are doing overseas once the iPad comes to our shores officially…