Vodacom is offering subscribers free e-mail accounts. Subscribers who are on contract, prepaid and top-up packages will now have mobile access to their own free e-mail account, says Vodacom SA`s MD, Shameel Joosub.
The free e-mail package offers customers an entry-level 5MB mailbox, providing sufficient storage space and mobile access to the user`s address, Joosub says. In addition, five alias e-mail addresses will be allocated to each customer, enabling family members to each get their own personal e-mail, he says.
The free e-mail also offers South Africans who don`t have access to a physical post-box another communication option via their cellphone, he adds.
Subscriber numbers recently declared by mobile operators indicate that SA has 33.5 million subscribers, with Vodacom accounting for 20.4 million.
Addressing consumer needs
Users can manage their e-mail messages from any Internet-enabled PC or from their cellphones, Joosub adds. This provides a huge business benefit to small business enterprises, he says.
Tebogo Khaas, president of the SMME Forum, is unimpressed by the new offering. He describes it as a marketing gimmick for people to use Vodacom`s services, which does not directly address the connectivity needs of consumers on a tight budget.
Vodacom should offer what small business owners truly need and lower its usage charges, he says. "We know that broadband costs are exorbitantly high, and Vodacom`s charges are no different. It costs R60 an hour to be connected at one of their community service telephones in Thembisa."
MyADSL founder Rudolph Muller says apart from the obvious advantage of supplying subscribers with a free e-mail address, there are no real advantages when compared to other free e-mail services like GMail or Hotmail.
Disappointing
Experienced Internet users will most likely find this e-mail offering of little value and even disappointing, he says.
Muller notes that Google`s GMail offers in excess of 1GB of storage, which is far more space than Vodacom is offering, and Google`s e-mail functionally and associated services are also far superior.
However, it is still encouraging to see SA`s largest cellular operator starting to play more actively in the Internet service provider arena, Muller says. "Their deep pockets, especially regarding marketing, and proactive attitude can mean that many people who were not aware of the advantages of e-mail will now get access to this technology," he says.
A recent study found e-mail marketing is enjoying enormous growth in SA, with Web traffic increasing by 48% in the past year.
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