First National Bank getting into the airtime game, pricing leaked

First National Bank has been rumoured to be getting into the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) space for some time and now there is confirmation of a sort. MyBroadband has snagged some details about the upcoming launch, including pricing for packages including Prepaid, TopUp, Contract and Flexi options.

FNB will be entering the mobile airtime world through their FNB Connect arm, according to the report. SIM cards have reportedly arrived in the hands of some users, who have said that the service will kick off from 1 July this year. It seems that FNB plans to piggy-back on Cell C’s network in order to get people connected to the bank’s own mobile offering.

It seems that prepaid users will be getting 50MB of data per month free, to use as they see fit.

Current details suggest that there are three TopUp tiers on the way from the bank, the Connect Top Up 30, Connect Top Up 50 and Connect Top Up 100 packages. The Top Up 30 option will give users 30 minutes of calls, 30MB of data and 30 SMS for a total of R30 per month, over 24 months. The 50 package will feature 50 minutes/50MB/50SMS for R50 per month over two years and the 100 option will set users back R100 per month and give them 100 minutes/100MB/100SMS monthly.

Contracts will go by the Connect 200, Connect 500 and Connect 1000 names and will feature similar structures – presumably without the ability to top up during a month. Thus the Connect 200 will cost R200 per month and offer 200 minutes/200MB/200SMS monthly, while the 500 and 1000 contracts will cost R500 and R1000 per month respectively. They will in turn offer users the same numerical value for their money in terms of airtime minutes, data and SMS.

But it is the Flexi details that are most interesting. The details for those packages are as follows (image via BusinessTech).

We’re expecting FNB to make an official statement regarding their entry into the mobile world soon.

Update: FNB CEO Jacques Celliers has said in an official statement “Mobility and banking innovation are now synonymous in the minds of FNB customers, we are excited to launch a South African first for banking via FNB Connect as the next step in our digital evolution. The FNB Connect mobile offering will add value to our customers’ lives as it is seamlessly integrated into all our banking systems.”

FNB Connect CEO Ravesh Ramlakan added ““The core offering will be the Flexi Package, which is unique as customers can manage their account by creating their own mobile package and have the ability to change it every month.”

“The banking landscape has evolved tremendously and with the help of technology we are able to better enrich the customer experience.  We believe that this valuable service will assist customers with the opportunity to do their banking and mobile services from one platform. This is yet another innovation aimed at offering our customers the benefit of integrated and seamless mobile services which interoperates across existing platforms.”

According to the statement, First National Bank will be offering SIM cards to its users from 15 June.

Source: BusinessTech