In a bid to facilitate access to mobile telephony services for all South Africans, MTN says it will focus on offering affordable handsets.
“With the advent of mobile telephony, a cellular phone has become a necessity for any household, and owing to the fast pace of transformation in the mobile telephony sector, today's customer is spoilt for choice, with a wide range of mobile devices hitting the market almost on a daily basis,” the company says.
However, cellphone ownership, MTN adds, remains a luxury for many South Africans and “the reality is that not everyone can afford to purchase [one]”.
MTN announced today it will attempt to address this need by offering cellphones for under R100. The cheapest prepaid MTN cellphone at the moment is the MTN S50S, which retails for R79 at Pep stores nationwide. The MTN S50S offers basic voice and data functions.
CMO of MTN SA Serame Taukobong says MTN is working to ensure that SA meets the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG). The UNMDG include eight goals ranging from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/Aids, and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015.
“Mobile telephony is a critical tool in tackling and addressing the challenges facing developing countries, and access to this technology is a basic need,” concludes Taukobong.
SA's first mobile operator Vodacom has on offer the Samsung E1080, which includes a starter pack, for R99, while Cell C's entry level phone, the Cell C MF Live, also costs R99, while 8ta's G2101, with colour screen, is available at various stores starting from R99.
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