Cheapest prepaid mobile prices in SA revealed
New statistics from Research ICT Africa shows that 8ta has the most affordable pre-paid cellular product in South Africa. Cell C was a close second.
Research ICT Africa, which conducts research on ICT policy and regulation, used the OECD’s methodology and product information from the operators’ webpages to find the cheapest pre-paid mobile products in the country.
The research firm calculated the affordability using a 40 calls per month pre-paid basket, split between on-net and off-net, peak and off-peak and different times of the day and weekend.
Research ICT Africa’s latest findings show that 8ta has the cheapest pre-paid product with a ‘basket’ cost of R103.04, followed closely by Cell C with R106.11.
The following table shows the findings ordered by the Q1 2013 pre-paid prices.
| Operator | Q2 2011 | Q3 2011 | Q4 2011 | Q1 2012 | Q2 2012 | Q3 2012 | Q4 2012 | Q1 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8ta | 136.28 | 136.28 | 136.28 | 136.28 | 136.28 | 169.00 | 169.00 | 103.04 |
| Cell C | 145.32 | 120.51 | 120.51 | 120.51 | 106.11 | 106.11 | 106.11 | 106.11 |
| Vodacom | 137.63 | 137.63 | 137.63 | 137.63 | 137.63 | 137.63 | 137.63 | 122.26 |
| Virgin Mobile | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 | 137.75 |
| MTN | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 | 164.54 |
Change in pre-paid prices in South Africa
The following graph shows the change in pricing over the last 30 months.
Prepaid mobile prices in South Africa Q4 2010 – Q1 2013 – click to enlarge
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