Mobile phone service provider Cell C announced yesterday the pending launch of a new pre-paid tariff plan called 99 Cents for Real.
The new service, is being launched due to customer demand, will see pre-paid subscribers paying a flat fee of 99 center per minute for calls across all South African networks at any time of the day. 99 Cents for Real will also be launching with per-second billing available from the first second of a phone call.
Cell C has said that the new product “…brings customers the best possible rates.”
Alan Knott-Craig, Cell C CEO, said “It is an unprecedented rate cut, which pre-empts lower Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) next year, and will drive competition in the market to the benefit of consumers. Peak MTRs are currently R0.56 per minute. To ICASA I say ‘drop MTRs even further, provide Cell C with asymmetrical MTRs to help us achieve the scalability we need to compete even more fiercely with the large incumbents, and we will surprise you and them with our response. Help us to help the consumer’. With a vigilant Competition Board, the playing fields will be leveled, and competition will flourish in the telecoms sector with Cell C setting the pace.”
99 Cents for Real will kick off on 20 May, giving Vodacom and MTN a kick in the rear in passing. MMS rates and cost-per-megabyte for Cell C data will also be dropping to 99 cents. SMS costs will remain unchanged.