Dear MTN Vodacom and Cell C: Is South Africa kissing cheap internet access good bye?

One of the greatest challenges in today’s Africa is presented by the advent of the internet.

For us the internet presents not just a means though which we satisfy our need for entertainment but it is now very instrumental in our fight against poverty, ill-health and miss-information.

The spread of feature mobile phones across most if not all of Africa has been good to us because it has made it possible to access cheaper internet. Unfortunately the arrival of Android smart phones is changing this chance and we are-all most on a daily bases finding internet  access more and more difficult as the value for a good data bungle is being devalued. The amount of time we spend on the internet is smaller than that which was the norm last year. You need not use statistics to prove this so. You simply have to go over your own memories and you will find that most of your friends were changing mobile phone networks almost on an hourly basis because the was a war going on between MTN, Vodacom and Cell C. Non of the afore-mentioned three can come out and claim itself a victor but I personally find it easier to point out Cell C as the better warrior-if not man of the match because it did manage to rake in a good number of fans who were attracted by the cheaper and longer lasting data bungles.

Vodacom and MTN saw this and were forced to rethink and restructure their data

Photo added from www.businesstech.co.za March 7 2013

packages. Always the more adept in strategy Vodacom began to add more buy options. They first brought us promotional data bungles which we bought by the numbers. The market was good for them so they upped their game by adding more options to their standard data bungles and extending their promotion times while laying in more lanes that catered not simply for the youth but went far enough to provide bungles accessible only to youth of specific ages.

MTN came in and adapted its data packages by offering its pay as you go customers’ data bungles that are bulkier than Vodacom’s but restricted by time. The thirty days data bungles are for example very small (5MB) if you low on cash (R3 to R5) but are much more reasonable if you have enough ( R35 for    100MB). They all last quite long enough if your internet experience is restricted to text based browsing.

Cell C managed to counter Vodacom and MTN by simply increasing its marketing space while balancing its data bungles against a very competitive price. They offered us 50MB for R7 and 100MB for R15. This was not just cheap: it was irresistible and thus made Cell C the carrier of choice even though its network coverage had nothing on both MTN and Vodacom.

The battle has now shifted and is very different from that of last year. Cell C seems confident in its market share. It now advertises not as aggressively as it once did. This is evident in its shift from serious pointy finger advertising to lets party slice of life advertising. Their bungles have gone up in price and they no longer give as many pecs as they did when you buy air time.

MTN is as expensive as ever when it comes to data, they still seem keen on relieving you off of your air time through sneaky services you joined with no consent from you and they are not lazy to let you “join” maybe two of these.

They now have very agreeable bungles if you using internet via a computer (R50 twenty four hour internet access unlimited, R10 1Gig Night express and

R5 250MB night express). To top it all up their speed is the best I have by far experienced.

Vodacom has for a long time been perceived as a carrier for the moneyed-and old. In trying to change that image they have begun to again do what they do best. They re-imagined the company’s image by splashing our screens with beautiful baby faces we were powerless against. They made me a fan of the company again but it failed to make me leave Cell C and MTN (polygamy is natural to an African). I latter came across Vodacom’s other projects and fell head first into a dam full of remorse for I have not for a very long time known and therefore appreciated the effort the company is putting into making South Africa a better place for all. Vodacom Millionaire has sisters from both Cell C and MTN but I personally do not find then any closer to the value of Vodacom’s e-School.

What bothers me however is the question of whether or not any one bothers himself to learn from it and add value to his own living condition.

The internet is not just for porn. It is an engine for change. Its greatest appeal to me is that it needs no greater resource for it to provide Africa the change it needs. Only my time and my beautiful brain: Rise African.

Please note. The above article intends only to show one man’s own hopes and frustrations about his need for internet access. He views it as a human right, values its contribution to his country and continents food chain and understands, appreciates and encourages the mobile network’s efforts to make internet accessible in Africa and South Africa specifically.

He is however worried that these efforts are becoming more and more profit driven and doing so on a continent still not well placed for humane profitability.