8ta -SA’s fourth network operator
A few weeks ago Telkom (Telecommunication provider for South Africa) Launched 8ta(Heita!) South Africa’s fourth mobile network operator. Their aim? To shake up SA’s Mobile industry….And they delivered! The pricing doesn’t look bad at all.
•For calls to other people its 150 cents per min based on a flat rate anytime of day, with no peak/off-peak time.
•If a customer sends five sms’s a day 8ta would provide 50 bonus sms’s at no charge , At All!
•Only 250 cents to more than 100 international destinations
•Only 25 Cent per Mb when you purchase a bundle
•For every 3 min that someone spends calling you , you get 1 min free
At the moment 8ta is only prepaid , but they are hoping to launch contract packages by the end of November while corporate services will launch within the next six months. The network will allow speeds up to 7.2Mbps for downloads on HSPA 3G technology. Growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan said it expected South Africa’s fourth mobile player to shake up pricing in the sector. Frost & Sullivan ICT industry analyst Spiwe Chireka says that Telkom aims to take a 15 percent mobile market share within the first five years of operation. It is expected that Telkom will spend up to R6 billion on its mobile infrastructure. Telkom decided on a youthful engineer to lead 8ta Amith Maharaj just 36 years of age Joined telkom in 2008. He has been working on 8tA for the last two years. I personally hope to see more of 8ta as its low pricing is “encouraging” the other operators (Vodacom MtN and Cell © ) to lower their prices . Afterall, competition has, and always will be a good thing.
source: bloomberg