Beware fake LTE resellers in South Africa

Users on the MyBroadband forum recently discovered a local fixed-LTE provider offering “Premium Uncapped LTE” for R699 per month.

The deal ostensibly includes 24-hour uncapped mobile data, although there is a fair usage policy of 1TB imposed, after which the company states that your connection will be limited to 5Mbps.

This deal is offered through a company called Tech Global, which also seems to offer IT support, data recovery, POS support, SEO, and website development services.

Tech Global said it offered its fixed-LTE products on Cell C and MTN’s networks, although one could assume that the data on its website has not been updated following the termination of Cell C’s fixed-LTE wholesale services.

A screenshot of the Tech Global fixed-LTE offering is shown below.

Too good to be true

Many MyBroadband forum users wondered if this offer was too good to be true, and a brief look over Hellopeter and social media unearthed enough red flags to warrant a high degree of caution.

The company’s Hellopeter page is littered with warnings from various people alleging that the service is a scam.

Fixed-LTE scams are relatively common in South Africa, and it is important for customers to ensure that the ISP they are buying their product through is a certified reseller of fixed-LTE products.

MyBroadband reached out to Tech Global for feedback on its fixed-LTE product offering.

We asked whether the company was a certified reseller of fixed-LTE products on any network, and enquired as to the RICA process employed by the company for its packages.

Tech Global did not respond by the time of publication.

Fake LTE

MTN told MyBroadband that Tech Global was not an authorised ISP for its fixed-LTE service.

“MTN can confirm that Tech Global is not a reseller of MTN fixed-LTE,” the mobile operator told MyBroadband.

Despite the unorthodox nature of the product, a number of South Africans seem to have tried to purchase the package from Tech Global.

In general, it is important to be wary of products which offer packages that seem too good to be true.

There are a number of other fixed-LTE scams circulating online in an attempt to catch out wary South Africans.

MyBroadband members have provided feedback on possible LTE scams in a dedicated forum thread.

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