This is a turn-up for the books from Cell C and, if history is any indication, this will soon be met by similar offers from other mobile operators in South Africa. Cell C has just announced that users on their cellular network, specifically contract and MegaBonus pre-paid users, will have the data charges incurred by messaging service WhatsApp waived.

The company is giving a month’s notice on the offer, which starts officially as of 19 October this year, and this should give pre-paid users a chance to sign up for MegaBonus so they are eligible for the highly-specific free data. Contract users, both current and future, will automatically be added to the promotion.

It won’t be running forever, by the look of it. It seems that the more users Cell C picks up as a result of the free data offering, the longer it will run but it should be valid until the end of the year at the very least.

Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos says that the current offer is a value add for customers, adding that WhatsApp is one of the most popular services on the Cell C network and that “…Cell C customers on the relevant packages will not pay a cent to use WhatsApp this festive season.” Whether it continues longer is up to users, it seems.

WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said in a statement “WhatsApp is pleased to partner with Cell C as it presents this unique offering to users in South Africa. With over 600 million active users around the world, we remain focused on helping people communicate and stay connected in a way that has become a part of everyday life.”