Vodacom has launched a package that blends GPRS and multimedia messaging service (MMS) in one application. The "My Life" application offers 24-hour Internet access, photo messaging and text messages of unlimited length.
Joan Joffe, Vodacom group executive of corporate affairs, says My Life combines new technologies and handset capabilities to add functionality to the cellphone. It also offers a concrete solution to the digital divide problem, she adds.
GPRS cellphone users are able to set their handsets to "always online", but pay only for the volume of data sent and received. My Life customers will not be charged for GPRS Internet access until the end of October, and all Vodacom contract customers with GPRS cellphones will automatically be provisioned on the Vodacom network for the basic package. To browse, they need to visit www.vodacom4me.co.za or contact their service providers to have GPRS settings sent to their cellphones.
Users can select a "My Meg" tariff plan to suit their Internet access needs. The packages are available in My Meg 0, My Meg 1, My Meg 5 and My Meg 10, offering zero, one, five and ten megabytes of data respectively. The My Meg 0 is a pay-as-you-use package, at the rate of R45 per megabyte. On the other end of the range, My Meg 10 is aimed at the business user who needs to regularly download data from the Internet and intranet. This option includes a R200 per month subscription fee, and costs R15 per MB.
The MMS component of the My Life offering is described as "SMS on steroids", and allows users with MMS-enabled handsets to send an image or mail an MMS long text message for around R1.70 for 10KB to 20KB. MMS messages can also be sent to e-mail addresses or Vodacom customers who do not have MMS-enabled cellphones. The recipient will receive an SMS with an Internet address and a password to authenticate their identity when they retrieve the message.
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