JSE-Listed airline Comair has diversified into the mobile Internet industry through a joint venture with the listed telecommunications company Altech.<\/p>\n
kulula.com, the budget airline brand which is a subsidiary of Comair, on Wednesday launched kulula.connect, a mobile Internet service that promises an affordable Internet connection using 3G technology.<\/p>\n
Altech is the service provider, while Vodacom and MTN are providing the network.<\/p>\n
Gidon Novick, Comair’s joint chief executive, said on Thursday: “The service is already in the market, but we feel that through our big customer base and trusted brand, we can bring value to the market. It’s really a question of pricing.”<\/p>\n
The entry-level product costs R60 a month for 40Mb of data. <\/p>\n
Tshepo Tsele, a computer scientist and director of Paperless Consulting, said: “Its not very different from what other providers are providing. <\/p>\n
“The R60 package is ideal for people who just want to check e-mails and use basic communication applications.” <\/p>\n
A visit to an Internet cafe costs about R20 for 30 minutes of Internet usage. <\/p>\n
Novick would not say how much of the product had already been bought by customers. <\/p>\n
Tsele said: “It won’t be a huge player in the market, but at least people will start to have more choice about what service they use, even if it’s on MTN and Vodacom’s networks.”<\/p>\n