{"id":630529,"date":"2026-02-24T08:53:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T06:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=630529"},"modified":"2026-03-05T08:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T06:01:37","slug":"telkom-launches-plugd-a-youth%e2%80%91first-platform-connecting-data-deals-and-real-opportunities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/industrynews\/630529-telkom-launches-plugd-a-youth%e2%80%91first-platform-connecting-data-deals-and-real-opportunities.html","title":{"rendered":"Telkom launches Plug\u2019d, a youth\u2011first platform connecting data, deals and real opportunities\u200b"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Telkom unveiled&nbsp;<strong>Plug\u2019d by Telkom<\/strong>, a new youth\u2011first mobile offering for South Africans aged 18\u201324, designed to connect young people to more affordable connectivity, curated content and real\u2011world opportunities in a single always\u2011on ecosystem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telkom.co.za\/plugd?utm_source=PR+external&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=PlugdHardLaunch&amp;utm_id=Plug%27d+PR+External\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Click here for more info about Plug&#8217;d by Telkom<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The platform brings together youth\u2011only bundles, lifestyle perks, entertainment and learning content to help young South Africans stretch every rand while getting closer to their goals.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The launch comes at a time when South Africa continues to face one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recent data shows that more than six in ten young South Africans aged 15\u201324 are unemployed and not in any education or training programme, even as over 50 million South Africans are online and mobile\u2011first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many still struggle with the cost of data and uneven access to digital tools, leaving them at the edge of the digital economy; Telkom\u2019s new youth platform is designed to address this gap, where connectivity, affordability and opportunity meet.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYoung people in South Africa are online, entrepreneurial, creative and ambitious, and they look to brands like ours to provide the access that can unlock a better tomorrow. Yet too many are still left buffering on the sidelines,\u201d said Telkom Chief Marketing Officer, Gugu Mthembu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlug\u2019d by Telkom is our commitment to change that, a space built for youth where every gig, every bundle and every interaction is designed to unlock real possibilities to learn, earn and move forward.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the platform works\u200b<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The youth\u2011focused service will allow eligible young people to join for free in seconds via the MyTelkom App, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telkom.co.za\/plugd?utm_source=PR+external&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=PlugdHardLaunch&amp;utm_id=Plug%27d+PR+External\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>telkom.co.za\/plugd<\/strong><\/a> or by dialling *180#, with no subscription fees or long\u2011term commitments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once registered, members unlock age\u2011specific offers and a growing world of content and experiences that already live where they are, in their group chats, on campus and at the culture\u2011defining moments that matter, turning everyday connectivity into access to learning, gigs, communities and the experiences that define \u201cyour era\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the launch, new Plug\u2019d registrations will be incentivised with 1GB of Telkom data, valid for 24 hours.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From day one, members will be able to:\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Join for free in seconds<\/strong>&nbsp;via the MyTelkom App, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telkom.co.za\/plugd?utm_source=PR+external&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=PlugdHardLaunch&amp;utm_id=Plug%27d+PR+External\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>telkom.co.za\/plugd<\/strong><\/a> or *180#, with simple pathways into youth\u2011only bundles and offers; the offering is not subscription\u2011based.\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stretch every rand of data<\/strong>&nbsp;with extended\u2011time bundles tailored to how they live, from late\u2011night streaming to all\u2011day study sessions.\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tap into opportunity<\/strong>&nbsp;through creator challenges, campus activations, learning partners and community projects that show how connectivity can unlock skills, side hustles and first\u2011job readiness.\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>See themselves in the story<\/strong>&nbsp;with a line\u2011up of relatable, purpose\u2011driven partners and creators who use the service in their own lives and share real, unfiltered experiences.\u200b<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cConnectivity on its own isn\u2019t enough anymore,\u201d Mthembu added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPlug\u2019d is where connection becomes direction, where data turns into CVs sent, side\u2011hustles launched, classes joined, and communities found. If you\u2019re ready to write your next chapter, this platform is built to support you.\u201d\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Telkom, our goal is to make participation in the digital economy more accessible and to ensure that possible truly begins here, unlocking pathways to learning, earning and growth for South Africa&#8217;s youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plug&#8217;d is about momentum, yours giving young people the connection, tools and small wins that help them stack progress day by day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telkom.co.za\/plugd?utm_source=PR+external&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=PlugdHardLaunch&amp;utm_id=Plug%27d+PR+External\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>telkom.co.za\/plugd<\/strong><\/a> and follow Telkom\u2019s social media channels on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/telkom_za\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TelkomZA\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@telkom_za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/telkom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a> and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TelkomZA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Telkom unveiled\u00a0Plug\u2019d by Telkom, a new youth\u2011first mobile offering for South Africans aged 18\u201324, designed to connect young people to more affordable connectivity, curated content and real\u2011world opportunities in a single always\u2011on ecosystem. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341030,"featured_media":630530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28937],"tags":[103458,109,103597],"class_list":["post-630529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industrynews","tag-plugd","tag-telkom","tag-telkom-sponsored"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630529"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341030"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":630535,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630529\/revisions\/630535"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}