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Cell C kicks off 2014 campaign

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 27 Feb 2014
Acting CEO Jose Dos Santos vows Cell C will continue to be the "consumer champion", despite the delay in MTR regulations.
Acting CEO Jose Dos Santos vows Cell C will continue to be the "consumer champion", despite the delay in MTR regulations.

Cell C has unveiled two new products as part of what it says is an aggressive drive to get consumers to change to its network in 2014.

Cell C's unlimited call product, Infinity, has been bolstered with two new options catering for both postpaid and prepaid markets, which the operator says is designed around simplicity and value.

Doug Mattheus, executive head of marketing at Cell C, says the product is comparable to other operators' unlimited products, but has its unique points.

Acting CEO Jose Dos Santos says: "Some operators are offering complex new promotions, which confuse and muddy the true value, or lack thereof, in their products. Cell C's two new promotions will surprise customers with their simplicity and value for money."

For R999, prepaid customers purchasing the new promotional airtime voucher, called Infinity Prepaid, will be able to make infinite calls to any local network at any time of the day, no opt-in required. In addition, customers will receive 1 000 SMSes and 1GB of data. The voucher is valid for 30 days from activation.

For Cell C's postpaid base, for a rate of R1 799, customers will have access to Infinity Select, which offers unlimited calls to any South African network at any time, as well as unlimited SMSes and 3GB of data per month over a 24-month period.

Additionally, says Cell C, customers can choose any handset available from Cell C on this deal, including the 16GB iPhone 5S. "The iPhone 5S 32GB package will cost R1 899 and the iPhone5s 64GB will cost R1 999 on Infinity Select.

"Customers who purchase Infinity Select will also be eligible for annual (on month 12 of the 24-month contract) handset upgrades."

Handset issues

Secondly, says Mattheus, "setting Cell C's Infinity product apart from the competitors' offerings, is a guarantee that should the handset be damaged, Cell C will replace it within 24 hours".

Dos Santos notes the smartphone market has a fast-paced turnover of new devices. "Cell C wanted to give customers the option of upgrading their devices as the manufacturers bring in new ones. Annual handset upgrades for users on this package is a no-brainer."

Customers who already own a handset and are just looking for the contract benefits will be able to purchase Infinity Select as a SIM-only postpaid offer for R999 on a 24-month contract. This offer provides unlimited calls to any local network, unlimited SMSes and 3GB data.

The operator says international calls and premium numbers will be charged additionally. "Cell C also reserves the right to institute a fair usage policy on both products should abuse be detected. Out of bundle data rates are 99c per MB, however, customers that run out of data can load an additional data bundle by dialling *147# and benefit from our 15c per MB rate."

Both Infinity Prepaid and Infinity Select will be available from 1 March from any Cell C franchise store and selected partners.

User network

Cell C's second new product, called Hi5, is a contract product that offers discounted call rates when calling five preselected numbers on the Cell C network.

"Consumers always have a few numbers they call more regularly than others and Hi5 is aimed at lowering the cost of those calls. It's ideal for consumers, as well as small businesses looking at curbing costs in tough economic environments," says Dos Santos.

With the same benefits as Cell C's Straight Up contracts, Hi5 customers will pay R150 for 150 anytime, any network minutes, 150 SMSes and 150MB of data. In addition, says Cell C, customers will be able to register five numbers on the Cell C network that will receive a preferential rate of 75c per minute on pure per-second billing - a 25% discount from the operator's 99c call rate.

"The 75c call rate to registered numbers is guaranteed for the life of the contract and is not subject to expiry rules hidden in the fine-print of the contract - a tactic often employed by companies," says Dos Santos.

Hi5 will be launched on Saturday with a handset deal, which comes standard with a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini, and the inclusive Hi5 monthly benefits at a subscription of R199 on a 24-month contract.

Customers that already have a device can sign up for Hi5 with the SIM-only option for R150 per month on flexible terms, ranging from month-to-month to 24 months.

"Hi5 is the result of extensive consumer research, which tells us that keeping in contact with communities, families, colleagues, among others, is becoming ever more important to South Africans," says Dos Santos.

He adds that Cell C will continue to take an innovative approach to lowering prices and bringing great value to customers, even while the industry awaits the outcome on mobile termination (MTR) regulations.

Hi5 will also be available to customers from 1 March.

Referring to the current MTR saga, Dos Santos says: "Despite the delay in the implementation of the MTR regulations, Cell C is still committed to bringing affordable and value for money products to consumers."

Graham MacKinnon, chief legal officer at Cell C, says, should MTN and Vodacom succeed in their bid to change MTR regulations and delay the process further, it will be difficult - if not impossible - to lower rates further.

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