MTN 3G released! See Rates.

MTN’s 3G services are now available for MTNers to test, provided you have a 3G handset. For customers, 3G services will be available and billed for from 22nd June onwards. MTN will officially launch 3G to the public on 26 June.



3G Handsets
The four handsets supported for the launch are the Nokia 6680, Sony Ericsson Z800, Samsung SGH-Z130 and Motorola V975. The Novatel U630 PC Data Card will also be available soon.
The Nokia 6680 is recommended for data users because it supports 3G and EDGE and therefore offers broadband speeds over a higher coverage area.
The Nokia 6630 support all 3G features but requires an additional camera accessory when using Videocall. The handset without the accessory does not have a camera in front to allow the other caller to see you!


Services offered
Voice calls (as normal).
Data connections. Like GPRS, only about 9x faster (maximum 384 kbps download). Seamlessly changes between 3G, EDGE and GPRS.
Videocalls.
These are currently on-net (MTN to MTN) only.
To activate videocalls, you need to have HSCSD loaded on your cellphone profile. #Help Staff Billing can load this for you.
Welcome to Y’ello 3G Video can be viewed on MTNLoaded.
Jamcams: Live video of selected traffic spots can be viewed on MTNLoaded.
Video clips can also be viewed from MTNLoaded. The costs of these are advertised on the site. The movie trailers are free.


Coverage Information
3G is offered in the following CBDs: Johannesburg, Midrand, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Bloemfontein.
Coverage maps will be posted on the internet shortly. Contact 1555 for details.


USIM
All 3G services can be accessed by MTN staff and subscribers using their existing 2G SIMs.
The benefit of a USIM to staff are that it has 128 kilobytes of storage and it supports international roaming.
A staff upgrade procedure to migrate from your SIM to a USIM will be circulated shortly. Please do not attempt to upgrade staff SIMs before this procedure is circulated later in the week. You can use all 3G services with your existing SIM until 27 June.


Video mailbox
This operates like a voice mailbox but accepts incoming videocall messages.
You must have a 3G handset before you can apply for a mailbox and you must have HSCSD loaded on your profile.
E-mail Takalani Thaba if you have a 3G handset already and want to be provisioned. Allow a 24 – 48 hour turnaround. An SMS will be sent to you when the video mailbox is provisioned. This manual provisioning process will be available until the end of Thursday 23 June.


Feedback
Please reply to this e-mail with any information on 3G services or if you want to make any comments or recommendations.


A Reminder about EDGE services
EDGE has been live on MTN’s network since November 2004.
EDGE offers data speeds of up to 236 kbps.
To use EDGE you need an EDGE enabled handset.
Coverage maps will be posted on the internet shortly. Contact Brian Seligmann for details.
If you have EDGE coverage your handset will register “Y’ello Broadband” on the cell broadcast.
If you have EDGE coverage or an EDGE handset it does not mean you have 3G coverage and a 3G handset.


Assistance and Support. Phone 1555 or e-mail CorporateHelpDesk


CHARGES

Voice
Exactly the same as current voice tariffs

Data tariffs
Exactly the same as current GPRS tariffs

Videomail
Free initially but will later have a monthly fee

Video Jamcams
R1 per 15 second view.
R1 per 15 second view.

Customer also pays for the data uses (see tariffs above)

Movie Trailers
Move Trailer is free on MTNLoaded when indicated but customers also pays for data used.

For example, a 180 kilobyte clip will cost around R1.80 for the data.

Videocalls (remember this is currently only possible for MTN to MTN calls)
R2/minute postpaid; R3/minute prepaid. Both incl VAT




Regards,



Y’ello 3G Team

With Vodacom the voice call and video call rates is the same. Not with MTN.
With Vodacom your normal free minutes is used for video calls too. Not with MTN.

does vodacom do per second billing on video calls?

Some of the information above is not quite correct.

Video calls are currently *free*. Billing will start on the 26th June 2005 and not the 22nd.

There will also be a promotion on video calls

That does not take away from the fact that MTN is far more expensive than Vodacom. Why in the world would anyone now choose MTN. Certainly soon everyone would always just video call, because it costs the same as voice.... on Vodacom that is.

I want to video call ASAP, but knowing that I can do it at much lower rates at Vodacom, I am obviously going to move the moment my current contract expires. It just does not make sense.

I would like to put this in perspective. Do you mind my asking how much you are currently paying for a voice call on your contract?

I use the procall 300. Please put it in perspective.

Not sure what perspective it is that I must get, because it is simple. With Vodacom I would have had 300 minutes of Video calls. With MTN I now have 0 minutes. So I immediately save R600 with Vodacom if I take MTN's rates into account.

mc721221 said:

does vodacom do per second billing on video calls?

Click to expand...

YES.

Is MTN @R2 per second billing?

mc721221 said:

Is MTN @R2 per second billing?

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No its not that expensive.Please check with them.MTN does not offer per second billing from THE 1st second across all packages

@ Tahir Ally : Dou you work for VODACOM?

Noble_Nanobot said:

@ Tahir Ally : Dou you work for VODACOM?

Click to expand...

Hear hear Nanobot, I'm getting that shifty feeling too.....

Gprs

hello
I was surfing through the internet and found out a website for s.a people.
I currently live in london and want to share some of my i.t experiences in the past 5 years.

We have over 6 major mobile telephone companies consisting over 3 billion members world wide.
Our vodafone here has given sa's vodacom 3g connectivity because vodacom uses the vodafones servers.(Satelite or vdsl)
we usaully pay a contract so we can use an unlimted amount of data calls.
If i came back to south africa(one day!) I would like to try out your new improved ohone companies. i still hope telkom is still not exsists beacuse its a rip off you people are getting. You should protest!
Viva south afrcan people.

MTNBroadband said:

Some of the information above is not quite correct.

Video calls are currently *free*. Billing will start on the 26th June 2005 and not the 22nd.

There will also be a promotion on video calls

Click to expand...

this is also a concern for me. I am an MTN fan and waited for the 3G roll out but to pay for video calls is not exactly a great move by MTN. Maybe you'll need to re-asses the situation. Its the same with the "sweet-spot" that you are trying to find with the gprs/edge rates. It is costing us money and other providers are more competitive in the regard.

MTNBroadband said:

I would like to put this in perspective. Do you mind my asking how much you are currently paying for a voice call on your contract?

Click to expand...

Can you give me some light please. Some hope.

johandutoit2000 said:

With Vodacom the voice call and video call rates is the same. Not with MTN.
With Vodacom your normal free minutes is used for video calls too. Not with MTN.

Click to expand...

MTNBB,

Please give us some feedback on this statement. How will MTN compete with Vodacom if this Video Call pricing is implemented?

johandutoit2000 said:

MTNBB,

Please give us some feedback on this statement. How will MTN compete with Vodacom if this Video Call pricing is implemented?

Click to expand...

I'm sure I am going to get shot down for this but I will have a stab at answering this on Friday afternoon just ahead of our Sunday launch and then early next week we can have the debate. I don't want to give out any info ahead of time but at the same time my previous experience on this forum says I can't say I will answer the question to your satisfaction later either.

I hope that's sufficiently cryptic Friday afternoon.

Tahir Ally said:

MTN does not offer per second billing from THE 1st second across all packages

Click to expand...

Well neither does Voda... And you can get per second billing from the 1st second on MTN - you just need to negotiate it with MTNSP.
I would like to re-iterate something I have said here before : If you are not happy with the terms and conditions of your contract, negotiate with them (any of the networks)! they can discount your contract and offer per second billing if you haggle hard enough!

johandutoit2000 said:

That does not take away from the fact that MTN is far more expensive than Vodacom. Why in the world would anyone now choose MTN. Certainly soon everyone would always just video call, because it costs the same as voice.... on Vodacom that is.

I want to video call ASAP, but knowing that I can do it at much lower rates at Vodacom, I am obviously going to move the moment my current contract expires. It just does not make sense.

Click to expand...

I would wait a couple of weeks first dude. Video call rates (especially interconnect agreements between Voda and MTN) and currently under negotiation. To make cross network calls, there will be an interconect charge as well, so I suspect that Vodacom will shortly be increasing their video call costs...