Cell C free WhatsApp: what about voice data?
Cell C announced in September that it would start zero-rating data consumed by WhatsApp from 19 October 2014 for some of its customers.
This will kick in automatically, the network said, and will be available to subscribers on contract and to pre-paid users on Cell C’s MegaBonus package.
In the announcement, Cell C said that WhatsApp users on its network will be able to send pictures, voice messages, videos, and text messages via the app without incurring any data charges.
However, WhatsApp said in February that it would be adding voice calls in the second quarter of 2014.
While the launch window has come and gone, the promise of voice calls from WhatsApp is something that has made mobile operators nervous.
Doug Mattheus, executive head of marketing at Cell C, admitted that choosing to not charge for WhatsApp traffic is something that can undermine their sources of revenue.
However, Cell C has chosen to embrace the disruption brought on by so-called “over the top” players like WhatsApp.
“What you don’t want to be is Walkman when someone invented the iPod and iPad,” Mattheus said.
Asked whether Cell C plans to support WhatsApp calls when it launches, Mattheus said that he couldn’t answer the question directly.
“What I can say is that we’ve chosen to embrace it, and hopefully it works well for us,” Mattheus said.
Now that Cell C has chosen not to oppose the march of messaging services such as WhatsApp, it is very difficult to U-turn now, Mattheus said.
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