Newly recapitalised mobile operator Cell C looks set to challenge its competition by announcing a number of new offerings and tariffs this week.
The latest was the launch of new "social bundles" aimed at giving extra data usage for social media platforms.
The telco says from 20 September, prepaid and selected post-paid and top-up customers will be able to purchase the new social bundles, "offering data, additional data for Facebook and WhatsApp, local any network voice minutes and SMS, and free games".
Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos says the new social bundles offer a convergent communication solution that is data-centric, "while incorporating traditional voice and text, with the bonus of being able to use the two primary social media platforms and the entertainment experience of gaming".
Customers on all prepaid plans, the post-paid Connector plans, Pinnacle plans and SmartData offers, will be able to purchase these new bundles.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Cell C announced it was planning to reduce its out-of-bundle data rates for customers.
As a first step, the company will reduce its out-of-bundle data rate for prepaid customers on its lowest tariff plan to 15c per MB, effective 1 October. And from 20 September, customers extend the validity of their data bundles indefinitely by purchasing another data bundle before the current one expires.
"The way customers consume data has changed, and as a business, to remain customer-focused, we need to adapt our own rules and processes to better meet their needs," said Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos.
On Tuesday, Cell C also announced it had new international roaming rates to 58 countries covering 99 networks.
These announcements come after the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) in August published new draft regulations that tackle data expiry dates and out-of-bundle billing practices for telecoms operators. The regulations include a requirement to let consumers opt out or opt in to out-of-bundle pricing on data, voice and SMS services.
ICASA is also conducting a study on the cost of data in the country in order to make recommendations to government. And the Competition Commission is busy with an inquiry into the high price of data services in SA.
The Cell C announcements seem to be a reply to a number of new innovations from competitor, Telkom. This includes Telkom last month zero-rating video and music streaming from select content partners for some of its FreeMe customers.
The new Telkom LIT offerings became available on 1 September. LIT Music offers music streaming for post-paid FreeMe 2GB and up customers, at no extra data cost. LIT Video offers free streaming of movies, TV, videos and music for FreeMe 5GB and up customers.
This was the last piece of a strategic puzzle for Telkom after it shook up the mobile market last year by launching its data-centric FreeMe offerings, and in July 2017, it unveiled a complete overhaul of its fixed-line product offering launching new Unlimited Home Internet and voice plans.
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