Free MTN Wikipedia access: check the fine print

Its obvious why it can't be done immediately..


They need to check on the impact to their bottom line, and find ways of padding it so that they can still make their profits.
 
MTN also did not say why it could not immediately provide free Wikipedia access
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Needs some billing development, notification to service providers and quality assurance etc. Nothing sinister this time.

Not sure about the Opera Browser part though - I didn't know people still used that.
 
MTN was asked why it could not provide free Wikipedia through all browsers, but the company did not respond by the time of publication.

Easy, because Opera Mini uses less data.
 
Some phones comes with Opera Mini as bloatware anyway.

Their video link description:

http://youtu.be/sc2lVRtWEvM

Published on Feb 14, 2014
On Wednesday, 12 February, Five Roses Tea challenged us to a #NekNomination. In response, we're thrilled to announce that by the end of February we will be making Wikipedia free to access for all MTN customers via Opera Mini. #MTNFreeWiki

This video is a derivative of Open Letter for Free Access to Wikipedia by Charlene Music, Victor Grigas, Andy R. Jordan, and the Wikimedia Foundation licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. The trademarks and logos of the Wikimedia Foundation and any other organization are not included under the terms of this Creative Commons license. Wikimedia trademarks, including "Wikipedia," are registered trademarks of the Wikimedia Foundation. For more information, please see the Wikimedia Trademark Policy.
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Although there is no mention in regard with Opera Mini in the video, perhaps due to the abovementioned Forumnite remarks and/or trademarks, it is stated in the description.
 
Opera Mini requests web pages through Opera Software's servers, which process and compress them before sending them to the mobile phone, speeding up transfer by two to three times and dramatically reducing the amount of data transferred, chargeable on many mobile phone data plans. The pre-processing increases compatibility with web pages not designed for mobile phones.
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Seeing that wikipedia is mostly text, it should compress very nicely, which means MTN is not loosing that much.
 
When you log into Opera Mini on MTN, you are presented with ads for MTN services.
 
Amazing the amount of negativity/complaining around this. I don't see any of the other networks even attempt something like this.
At least it's a step forward to give children access to information for free, they won't complain. All I see here is MTN being slammed for actually doing something, where is Vodacom/8TA/CellC? That's like offering free bread for hungry people and then complain, as an outsider, the packaging is the wrong colour and you don't want it. IMHO, this is a great step forward, and the next steps might even open it up for other browsers. +1 for MTN, information is power and even a little bit of extra information can change a kid's life. And entrepr is correct, there is a lot of admin that has to happen in the background. The type of traffic needs to be identified, billing needs to be adjusted. It's not just a flip of a switch and voila, the billing will correct. I bet you naysayers will be the first to jump on the bandwagon and moan when MTN accidentally bills someone for wikipedia access because they let them have access immmediately and systems haven't been tested.
BTW, I'm a VC customer.
 
Fox1 said:
Yeah, the last time I used Opera Mini on 3g, there were MTN ads in the tiles on the homepage.
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Tested this now, no MTN ads on 3G, same with Wi-Fi. I don't utilise Opera Mini, only FF and Chrome (Google Now). Did your Opera Mini came pre-installed (bloatware)?
 
Fulcrum29 said:
Tested this now, no MTN ads on 3G, same with Wi-Fi. I don't utilise Opera Mini, only FF and Chrome (Google Now). Did your Opera Mini came pre-installed (bloatware)?
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Now that you mention it, it seems so :erm:
 
Has MTN ever responded to a request for comment? Why do people even bother anymore?
 
Its a free service. Beggers can't be choosers. For those who don't like the free offer on Opera mini, go and buy a data bundle and use any browser.
 
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