Cellular24.02.2016

MTN uncapped data – what it really means

By Staff Writer

Some MTN subscribers are angry at the company after receiving data bills for thousands of rand after purchasing uncapped data bundles.

This raised questions as to whether MTN’s uncapped products are truly uncapped, and what MTN views as “uncapped data”.

MTN’s website explains that its 1 Day uncapped Internet bundle provides customers with “uncapped data, subject to the fair use policy, valid for 1 Day from the time it is purchased”.

The fair use value for MTN’s 1 Day uncapped Internet bundle is 150MB. If a customer exceeds this limit, their data speeds will be reduced to 128kbps.

MTN also reserves the right, in terms of the fair use policy, to take the necessary action to “prevent improper, excessive, or abusive use of the MTN 1 Day Uncapped Internet Bundle”.

Such action includes suspension or deactivation of a customer’s MTN 1 Day bundle, where usage is deemed fraudulent and/or in contravention of the law.

MTN also has the right to implement other measures and controls to “ensure that the integrity of its systems is maintained”, including deep packet inspection.

“Customers give MTN the right to monitor aspects including, but not limited to, non-compliance with its Fair Use Policy and restricted protocols.”

MTN states it reserves the right to throttle usage, including peer-to-peer traffic, and prioritize and filter certain activities, such as VoIP traffic, over other activities.

Users are billed because they did not activate their bundle: MTN

MTN’s Chief Customer Experience Officer Eddie Moyce explained to CapeTalk’s John Maytham that many users were billed for their data use because they did not activate their data bundle.

Customers must activate the MTN 1 Day bundle after purchase by dialing *141*5#.

“The bundle does not automatically activate,” the company said.

This followed a complaint from an MTN subscriber that he received a bill of over R2,000 for data used after he purchased an uncapped daily data bundle.

Moyce urged consumers to follow the network’s instructions to ensure the bundles they purchase were activated.