Please don't take away my choice

Came back from Sri Lanka a week ago and paid 140ZAR for 8.5gb of daytime data and 8.5gb night time data, with social media and whatsapp zero rated.300Rupees worth of international airtime.Made a few local calls for accommodation and airtime didn't go down.
 
absynth said:
Came back from Sri Lanka a week ago and paid 140ZAR for 8.5gb of daytime data and 8.5gb night time data, with social media and whatsapp zero rated.300Rupees worth of international airtime.Made a few local calls for accommodation and airtime didn't go down.
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How was the data speed and coverage?
 
DTBA said:
How was the data speed and coverage?
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I didn't do a speed test,but using my device the same way I would at home, I had zero speed issues.
Most areas had 4G and it was only when travelling by train that sometimes one would go through a short spot of edge,but that would be when there is no houses or buildings around.

All and all it was an excellent experience.Didn't even use WIFI offered by accommodations once.

That was using Mobitel,but I believe Dialog is just as good.

PS. We were in the Central,Southern and South Western areas.
 
Your Datsun-Ferrari analogy is flawed. It implies that there is a range of options available. The fact of the matter is that most South Africans cannot even afford a Datsun. Most South Africans can barely afford a car at all.

Mobile operators are all competing for the same small sliver of market share, but there is no competition in the low end. For most South Africans an affordable (low quality?) service is what they would prefer. How do they exercise their choice?
 
seted said:
Your Datsun-Ferrari analogy is flawed. It implies that there is a range of options available. The fact of the matter is that most South Africans cannot even afford a Datsun. Most South Africans can barely afford a car at all.

Mobile operators are all competing for the same small sliver of market share, but there is no competition in the low end. For most South Africans an affordable (low quality?) service is what they would prefer. How do they exercise their choice?
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Having a look again the CAPEX comparison is a bit disingenuous too - For example MTN's Capex, as a percentage of revenue, is more or less within 5% of each other but pricing isn't.
 
absynth said:
Came back from Sri Lanka a week ago and paid 140ZAR for 8.5gb of daytime data and 8.5gb night time data, with social media and whatsapp zero rated.300Rupees worth of international airtime.Made a few local calls for accommodation and airtime didn't go down.
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In fairness their travel packages are specially prices for tourists and locals don't get quite the same deals.

Their local deals do still win out over ours by a long shot though.

Also...questionable time to go to Sri Lanka...
 
klipdrifter said:
I don't care what investments they make here in SA because in every other country I visited, including a few "worse" countries than South Africa, the data was way cheaper and network quality was perfect for everyday use.

South African's are being raped by these teleco's.
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And the funny thing is many of those countries where it's so much cheaper...it's offered by the exact same Telco's as here.
 
SauRoNZA said:
In fairness their travel packages are specially prices for tourists and locals don't get quite the same deals.

Their local deals do still win out over ours by a long shot though.

Also...questionable time to go to Sri Lanka...
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We left a week before the poo poo hit the fan.Everything was quite peaceful while we were there.
 
Is it me or is mybb now being paid to write positive stuff for MTN & Vodacom.
I think we all agree that 30 day prepaid offerings are priced out of range for most people.

Telkom Mobile offers 2.25 GB on their network ONLY for 30 days at R28 which i believe is affordable on Prepaid.

7 GB for 30 Days for R79 as well.

So whos fooling who now.

Telkom share price is rocketing subscribers are increasing.

Dividends are being paid out.

This MTN & Vodacom nonsense must STOP.

Remember what they did with call Termination rates - Please go take a look and see for yourself their submissions.

If no strong arm regulations exist they will push the Boundaries.
 
H3G(aka 3 Mobile) in UK had a sim only offer 3 years ago already I took up... and will be using when I visit in a few days

£10 for 4gb mobile data ,
unlimited calls to mobiles or landlines,
and .... best part...
feel at home to 70+(un farkin fortunately not SA!) destinations where you can use your SIM as if you in UK.

https://3g.co.uk/feel-at-home

Which plans come with Go Roam?
All Three plans now include Go Roam Around The World. including contract phones, SIM only, mobile broadband and Pay As You Go plans.


Just checked:
By now I'd reckon it's far more than 4gb it's 8 GB
 
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At least somebody still feels comfortable enough to state a case that redeems the networks somewhat. It's their fault though for losing so much goodwill.
 
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absynth said:
We left a week before the poo poo hit the fan.Everything was quite peaceful while we were there.
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The (very poor) joke was that it all went magically wrong after you left.

Beautiful place, it’s pretty sad all round.
 
Gudnews said:
At least somebody still feels comfortable enough to state a case that redeems the networks somewhat. It's their fault though for losing so much goodwill.
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Nothing wrong with advocating for MTN or Vodacom. It is when it's spin that is used to do so even if wrapped up as an opinion piece where it's problematic.
 
quovadis said:
Nothing wrong with advocating for MTN or Vodacom. It is when it's spin that is used to do so even if wrapped up as an opinion piece where it's problematic.
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But they don't advertise in this site? Or do they? I mean directly with ads and all? I would not know, Opera ftw.
 
4G population coverage seems like a dumb metric to compare. 4G should make it cheaper for price/data as more efficient...
 
Having used Cell C, MTN, Telkom and Vodacom I can say there isn't much different in quality and speed. The outrageous pricing of one being 15x more than the other is simply not justified by 10% better network quality. Also the car analogy is flawed as you can get something for much less that can match or exceed it and you can also pimp your old jalopy yourself. You pay for a status symbol and that is what MTN and Vodacom has become rather than continue with their original purpose. Ferrari's business model is based on selling the least amount of cars at the highest price and that is exactly what MTN and Vodacom are doing.
 
klipdrifter said:
I don't care what investments they make here in SA because in every other country I visited, including a few "worse" countries than South Africa, the data was way cheaper and network quality was perfect for everyday use.

South African's are being raped by these teleco's.
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In fact, we are subsidizing the telcos in those countries. Otherwise, these companies would not have a foothold there.
 
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