South Africa has a SIM card problem

[Swa]

most just get tossed, as you can see them all over on the ground, like confetti after a big party, especially around month end, when a lot of people will change numbers to avoid creditors and exes.

I still have to see a SIM lying anywhere. I pick up infinitely more 5c coins than SIMs.

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

I still have to see a SIM lying anywhere. I pick up infinitely more 5c coins than SIMs.

10c coins are now discarded, as no retailer keeps 5c around. I collect them, and when the jar gets full it goes to SPCA, takes a month or so to fill it up.

 

[Tech Guy SA]

The 40% unemployed does not mean they don't have a job. just that they don't have a job in the formal economy.

A phone is most definitely not a luxury item. its a necessity to order to get work. I would say as important as access to transport.

a nice phone is a luxury.

thanks for elaborating it better yes

View attachment 1940517

Of the top 10 bestselling phones on Amazon by volume, a total of 1 supports esim and its the second most expensive one.

eitherway like i said earlier its gradual and carrier dependent

 

[Mirai]

Imagine worrying about sim card refuse when people buy disposable water, softdrink or even beer bottles. Those plastic bottle tops get tossed. Those bottles get tossed. How often does one buy a sim? The last time bought one was 3 years ago.

 

[Mike Angelo]

10c coins are now discarded, as no retailer keeps 5c around. I collect them, and when the jar gets full it goes to SPCA, takes a month or so to fill it up.

That old saying of looking after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves is very true. I often see the 10c coins lying around in the parking areas, so obviously the car guards just throw them away. That is why they are car guards...

 

[Bad Ballie]

Africa? K i mean we are on a co.za site right now.. i know where i am.

my iphone 11 has esim...its old it works perfectly fine yet i have a physical sim and a esim cost me nothing extra.
Daughters esim on the watch cost a tiny amount (like tiny) perspective i guess.

and why the "choose violence" wow.

out of touch? mmmm thats why i said end up loosing a lot of phones what i meant by that is not a lot of phones have esim and i dont think its exclusive to top tier phones that are 20k plus.

The world is moving forward with this at some point anyway. besides everyone in SA has a phone like everyone. give it a few years and everyone will have esim phones all im saying.

Government <-- see what i did there unless you were trying to make a joke haha then.. dont create simcards. Networks do its up to them weather they want to do what ever they want with it with regulators permissions of course.


Edit**

View attachment 1940506

Pretty sure the vast masses outside the top 2% of earners do not have e-sim capable phones, hell my phone doesn't support e-sim and its only three years old, and I certainly won't be replacing it until it gives up the ghost completely. How many of the phones Pep do you think support e-sim.

 

[Bad Ballie]

So, who exactly buys all these throw away sim's and why, the Sim in my phone has been around for longer than 8 years which is as far back as I can remember to be honest, might be longer.

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

most just get tossed, as you can see them all over on the ground, like confetti after a big party, especially around month end, when a lot of people will change numbers to avoid creditors and exes.

Can confirm, I pick a lot of them up, sometimes you find that they still work... but are devoid of any airtime/data
Also, it's a tiny bit of plastic... some people don't know there's silicon in there, and some epoxy resin, very small amounts though.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

So, who exactly buys all these throw away sim's and why, the Sim in my phone has been around for longer than 8 years which is as far back as I can remember to be honest, might be longer.

So I occasionally need yo travel, and my Mi-Fi router needs a SIM. So I duly get a SIM card, put it in the router. Load with data, travel, return home. Don't use it for a month or so, and what do you know, it "dies". ****ing stupid.

The provider BUNTS did not add a simple feature that allows the SIM card, to be made inactive/active as required. End result, millions of SIM cards get tossed.

Then you have the poor khasi buggers, jumping from one promotional, data SIM card to the next. Because as above, you cannot make them inactive/active. Also many SIM cards, are locked yo the promotional package, and cannot be repurposed.

End result, I toss it, aquire another, as needed. Rinse and repeat.

So the cleva BUNTS at the service providers created the very problem they are now ostensibly crying big salty crocodile tears, about.

Sies SHAME to/on them, for being retarded.

Besides, someone, somewhere is making money from all those SIM cards.

No end to corporate greed.

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

So I occasionally need yo travel, and my Mi-Fi router needs a SIM. So I duly get a SIM card, put it in the router. Load with data, travel, return home. Don't use it for a month or so, and what do you know, it "dies". ****ing stupid.

The provider BUNTS did not add a simple feature that allows the SIM card, to be made inactive/active as required. End result, millions of SIM cards get tossed.

Then you have the poor khasi buggers, jumping from one promotional, data SIM card to the next. Because as above, you cannot make them inactive/active. Also many SIM cards, are locked yo the promotional package, and cannot be repurposed.

End result, I toss it, aquire another, as needed. Rinse and repeat.

So the cleva BUNTS at the service providers created the very problem they are now ostensibly crying big salty crocodile tears, about.

Sies SHAME to/on them, for being retarded.

A lot of the stuff these cartels cry about is wholly self-inflicted, they long for the 1990s and early 2000s when peak subscriber butt-rape was the game of the day.

 

[Bad Ballie]

So I occasionally need yo travel, and my Mi-Fi router needs a SIM. So I duly get a SIM card, put it in the router. Load with data, travel, return home. Don't use it for a month or so, and what do you know, it "dies". ****ing stupid.

The provider BUNTS did not add a simple feature that allows the SIM card, to be made inactive/active as required. End result, millions of SIM cards get tossed.

Then you have the poor khasi buggers, jumping from one promotional, data SIM card to the next. Because as above, you cannot make them inactive/active. Also many SIM cards, are locked yo the promotional package, and cannot be repurposed.

End result, I toss it, aquire another, as needed. Rinse and repeat.

So the cleva BUNTS at the service providers created the very problem they are now ostensibly crying big salty crocodile tears, about.

Sies SHAME to/on them, for being retarded.

Actually makes sense and wasn't something I was thinking about. Why spend R10 on airtime, when you can pick up a sim preloaded with R10 airtime for R5 etc, the occasional use sim is of course another obvious I also didn't connect with.

 

[entropyagent]

especially around month end, when a lot of people will change numbers to avoid creditors and exes

Wait....does this work??

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Those discarded coins make very nice washers if you put the time in to drill a hole in the center

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

Those discarded coins make very nice washers if you put the time in to drill a hole in the center

Hard steel punch and wooden block is much better, you get a hole in a few seconds, and no damage to any drill bit either. they are also cheaper than a washer as well.

 

[supersunbird]

You can get one at Pep stores for R800.

Now do cheapest dual eSIM