Cell C 3G vs Telkom mobile (8ta)

T

tom110584

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
324
Reaction score
0
Location
Pinetown, Durban
cell c's latest data deals are still miles ahead of the competition. telkom mobile is charging R250 for a gig! compare that to cell c, who are charging just R31 for a gig on their R1 999 data sim deal. i can't believe the other mobile providers are letting such a massive gulf emerge between their data prices and cell c's. when i think back to when i paid R389 for 2 gigs on vodacom, i am just so relieved that cell c brought out this new deal.

i believe we need to put pressure on vodacom, mtn and telkom and let them know what a rip-off we think their data prices are. i already wrote to vodacom a while ago and told them that i was ditching them for cell c. the more voices the better!

what are your guys reactions to telkom mobile's prices?

article here: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/15836-8ta-powered-Telkom-Pricing-and-other-details.html
 
Last edited:
They are expensive yes, but many people, including me, don't have R 1999 lying around to fork out.
 
I believe when they where setting up this model they where severely shortsighted. Instead of going all out to get new customers they rather matched the other operators offerings, and probably hoped they could win them over with aggressive marketing. They did not put the Cell C data promotion into the equation, perhaps there was a lot of uncertainty about it and they did not care to speculate, however that has come back to haunt them now. The success of the sms offering remains to be seen, as others have pointed out that mxit and bbm seems to be a better consumer option, although they might find some market there. Perhaps their biggest strength is the transparency of the pricing. Won't be putting any money on Telkom, l8a to h8a.
 
J0n0 said:
They are expensive yes, but many people, including me, don't have R 1999 lying around to fork out.
Click to expand...

i realise this. it would be nice if cell c also allowed one to take out a year's contract for the data packages, and essentially pay it off over 12 months.
 
Last edited:
tom110584 said:
i realise this. it would be nice if cell c also allowed one to take out a year's contract for the data packages, and essentially pay it off over 12 months.
Click to expand...

+1

It will definitely come at a later stage, I want decent prepaid prices though. I'm never signing a data contract ever. For 3G i'm willing to pay up to R 100/Gb which would be fair seeing In the past I was using between 2Gb and 5Gb on Vodacom.
 
i believe we need to put pressure on vodacom, mtn and telkom and let them know what a rip-off we think their data prices are.
Click to expand...

We are doing that already, with our wallets. If people stop paying their prices, they will soon know.

Can't wait for Cell C to announce/release in JHB. (Bye Vodacom, see you Leita...)
 
tom110584 said:
i realise this. it would be nice if cell c also allowed one to take out a year's contract for the data packages, and essentially pay it off over 12 months.
Click to expand...

Check with Internet Solutions or one of their resellers. They resell the new Cell C data packages and I think they allow monthly payments instead of once-off.
 
Jola said:
Been there, done that - only pre-paid data for me. If they don't deliver, I walk, and I'm not signing anything.

Cell C suits me just fine.
Click to expand...

+1

Really happy that I DID NOT sign up with Vodacon - was able to jump as soon as CellC came to Cape Town. Very happy with the service thus far :) . Have a friend who went the contract route - he is still stuck with Vodacom for the next 14 months! :cry:
 
The Cell C Offer is a promotional offer for a very limited period of time, with the idea to generate short term cash flow and to tie the customer up for a year.

Can you compare this to any other prepaid offer from any other operator?

What will Cell C be charging for prepaid data next month once this promotion is over?
 
MickeyD said:
What will Cell C be charging for prepaid data next month once this promotion is over?
Click to expand...

Well that's the million dollar question. I don't think it'll be as cheap as the 'promotion', but they surely can't go back from these prices to the same high charges everyone else has? There'll be a backlash. I doubt they have even decided yet, to be honest; market conditions could change fast and they probably have a few 'if this' and 'if that' plans.

In the meantime, I'm very very happy I bought one of their R3K promotions.
 
Here's my understanding and my prediction for what's going to happen:

The initial "promotion" is really just a way to lock in early adopters who will put down money up-front. I wouldn't be surprised if some early adopters are going back and buying additional SIMs they don't need right now in the belief they are locking in special prices. This kind of cash flow is exactly what Lars needs. Not to mention the loyalty generated and the feedback from early adopters (who will also tend to be more competent).

The "promotion" will run until the rate of sales of bundles begins to taper off. Maybe 6 months, or maybe sooner if MTN and Vodacom respond first or if they get a deal on iPhone distribution.

Then Cell C will release month-to-month HSPA+ data packages to all their SIMs, at the current pricing of ~R50/GB. This will allow everyone who bought into the promotion to top up, improving cash flow further. And it will suck customers out of the other networks. This will instantly force MTN/Vodacom's hand and prices will drop all-round (expect 12-month bundles to get cheaper when this happens), but by this time Cell C has already established market share and brand recognition. Pure genius.
 
Tomtomtom said:
Here's my understanding and my prediction for what's going to happen....... Pure genius.
Click to expand...

+10 for you my friend, if above is true , contact me via pm for your delivery of your fav dop under R200.00 incl vat :D

Well done Cell C for bringing us affordable internet. The games have already begun...
 
tom110584 said:
cell c's latest data deals are still miles ahead of the competition. telkom mobile is charging R250 for a gig! compare that to cell c, who are charging just R31 for a gig on their R1 999 data sim deal. i can't believe the other mobile providers are letting such a massive gulf emerge between their data prices and cell c's. when i think back to when i paid R389 for 2 gigs on vodacom, i am just so relieved that cell c brought out this new deal.

i believe we need to put pressure on vodacom, mtn and telkom and let them know what a rip-off we think their data prices are. i already wrote to vodacom a while ago and told them that i was ditching them for cell c. the more voices the better!

what are your guys reactions to telkom mobile's prices?

article here: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/15836-8ta-powered-Telkom-Pricing-and-other-details.html
Click to expand...

Perhaps you must compare apples with apples. You cannot compare a voice pay as you go service from 8.ta with a data specific package from Cell C. Perhaps we must remind all how they compare on normal pay as you go options:
8.ta - cheaper calls than Cell C
8.ta - cheaper data than Cell C pay as you go voice products - R250 per gig compared to R289 per Gig
8.ta - Faster data than Cell C - 8.ta on HSPA for all not only for special upfront data packages.

Telkom is offering a data only option under their own brand and as far I can remember it is R449 for 3 Gig a month, R349 for 2 Gig, still cheaper than the month to month bundles on Cell C. Check out on Telkom website under Products WCDMA.
 
tom110584 said:
i realise this. it would be nice if cell c also allowed one to take out a year's contract for the data packages, and essentially pay it off over 12 months.
Click to expand...

Maybe we should creat a thread and ask cell_c to respond to it. Is it possible for this to be offered as a contract over 12 months?

MickeyD said:
The Cell C Offer is a promotional offer for a very limited period of time, with the idea to generate short term cash flow and to tie the customer up for a year.

Can you compare this to any other prepaid offer from any other operator?

What will Cell C be charging for prepaid data next month once this promotion is over?
Click to expand...

Good point.

Tomtomtom said:
Then Cell C will release month-to-month HSPA+ data packages to all their SIMs, at the current pricing of ~R50/GB. This will allow everyone who bought into the promotion to top up, improving cash flow further. And it will suck customers out of the other networks. This will instantly force MTN/Vodacom's hand and prices will drop all-round (expect 12-month bundles to get cheaper when this happens), but by this time Cell C has already established market share and brand recognition. Pure genius.
Click to expand...

I think Cell C is trying to win back the public. Think about it the reason why cell c has so few customers is that everyone knew they had a *hit network and now they are telling everyone that they have the best network (which iss true make a phone call in the new HSPA area and you hear the call more clearer with no breaking up). they need to win back consumer confidence and thats what they doing. The only reason I left Cell c last year was because of poor cell reception now I find myself considering moving back to them from MTN.

As for Vodacom and MTN. I don't think they can drop the prices of thier data products to the amounts cell c has. I think cell c can afford to as thier "NEW" towers are more cost effective and financially viable (as they have a longer life sapn and can be upgraded to 80 mbps). The other networks are now trying to upgrade thier existing towers to 21 mbps on old tech. And cell c is buying thier backhaul from neotel (the network that nobody uses) . Old teh always cost more to upgrade look at the price of DDR 400 RAM vs DDR2 RAM. DDR400 is older but costs 3 times more now.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X