MTN Google Phone versus Vodacom iPhone

Rudolph Muller

Rudolph Muller is the editor at MyBroadband and covers telecoms and broadband news. Rudolph comes from an academic background, but left the University of...

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MTN recently released HTC Dream to the South African market.  The HTC Dream, better known as the G1 or Google Phone in Europe and the United States, runs the Google designed Android operating system and is widely seen as a competitor to the Apple iPhone.

MTN today officially announced that through an exclusive partnership with local HTC distributor Leaf International Communications, it will launch the HTC Dream mobile handset to its channel this month.  MTN is already promoting the phone in its advertising campaigns, but according to official feedback the phone will only be launched later in May, ‘most likely next week some time’.

One of the big selling points of the HTC Dream smart phone is the extensive integration with Google products.  “The HTC Dream gives users one-touch access to their favourite Google products such as Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube,” MTN said.

“Unlike other operating systems that treat search functionality as an ‘extra’, the entire Android operating system was moulded around the core of search functionality. The software is completely open source and allows users to download a host of free applications as well as customise every facet of the HTC Dream, from the dialler, browser and photo viewer, to the core applications normally locked into the operating system.”

This exclusive launch of the HTC Dream in South Africa may well be a way for MTN to counter Vodacom’s exclusive iPhone launch in mid 2008.  “MTN is proud to be the first operator in South Africa to offer its customers a revolutionary smartphone that will change the way we use mobile technology,” says Donovan Smith, General Manager, Consumer Segments, at MTN SA.

When asked whether MTN expects the HTC Dream to compete effectively against the iPhone, the answer was clear:  “Absolutely, and then some”.  Overseas the iPhone is far more popular than the HTC Dream.

The HTC Dream was launched in the US and UK in October 2008 and T-Mobile recently announced that it sold over 1 million units since its launch.  Apple, in comparison, has sold over 3 million iPhone 3G units in the first month after the launch, and has sold 17.4 million iPhones to date.

While Vodacom could not comment on exact sales figures before its JSE listing, the cellular provider did say that there is a great deal of interest in its smartphone offerings like the iPhone 3G. “Our research shows the iPhone 3G is a popular choice with the younger and more technology savvy generation,” said Dot Field, Chief Communications Officer for the Vodacom Group.

MTN is offering the HTC Dream to customers on the MTN AnyTime 350 package for R529 per month, which includes R350 worth of airtime and 100 MB worth of data per month.  According to MTN the HTC Dream is unlikely to be available on prepaid.

Vodacom is offering the 8 Gig iPhone to customers on an iPhone 120s package which includes 120 free minutes, 100 free SMSs and 250 MB of data for R 580 per month.

MTN HTC Dream versus Vodacom iPhone