Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      The satellite broadband operators taking on Starlink

      9 July 2025

      Yaccarino out: Musk’s handpicked CEO quits X suddenly

      9 July 2025

      AI gold rush propels Nvidia to record $4-trillion market cap

      9 July 2025

      Price hike for .za domains

      9 July 2025

      China’s Temu ups ante with South African warehouse launch

      9 July 2025
    • World

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025

      Jony Ive’s first AI gadget could be … a pen

      30 June 2025

      Bumper orders for Xiaomi’s YU7 SUV heighten threat to Tesla

      27 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on data governance in hybrid cloud environments

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Free mobile calls? Don’t laugh it off

    Free mobile calls? Don’t laugh it off

    By Agency Staff7 September 2016
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Phonecall-640

    Experts say the price of voice calls over mobile networks could become obsolete with the advent of 5G and so-called over-the-top (OTT) services like WhatsApp.

    This was the focus of a panel discussion at Telkom’s Satnac conference in George on Tuesday.

    During the event, panellists discussed whether the Internet of things (IoT) is a “threat or opportunity” for OTT players.

    “Most technology is a commodity. 5G is a commodity,” said Lee Naik, Accenture Digital’s MD. “Prices of commodities lower and in some cases become free.”

    He explained that GPS, a product that used to cost thousands, was now free as an app on smartphones.

    Naik said that there was also a possibility of free data in the near future and that as voice over IP becomes more widely used, networks might be forced to drop call rates or even make them free.

    Despite trends that show increases in data traffic, South Africa’s top two mobile networks still boast most profit from voice traffic. These networks have also moved to hike voice tariffs in recent times.

    MTN, for example, recently increased call voice call rates by as much as 40% on some of its packages.

    And MTN’s quarterly update in April this year said that across its African and Middle East operations, its voice traffic had increased by 12,1% year on year, while data traffic increased by 123,3%.

    Vodacom’s latest quarterly update revealed that its data revenue in South Africa increased by 18% to R4,7bn for the period as average monthly data usage by customers grew 19,6% to 632MB.

    In an earlier statement to shareholders, Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said the company’s ‘Just 4 You’ offers assisted in improved voice revenue trends, while at the same time reducing effective price per minute by 16,9%.

    Meanwhile, Telkom’s new FreeMe packages offer users more data with unlimited calls with 20GB of data from R599, while FNB Connect and Me&You Mobile, running atop Cell C, offers unlimited calling at R399 and R299 respectively.

    Fin24



    Cell C Lee Naik MTN Telkom Vodacom WhatsApp
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleTshwane to review flagship Wi-Fi project
    Next Article MTN, MMI in micro insurance tie-up

    Related Posts

    Vodacom, Maziv deal now looks likely after CompCom U-turn

    8 July 2025

    Sasol, Vodacom team up to modernise Secunda operations

    4 July 2025

    Vodacom’s influence on Maziv too strong to ignore: tribunal

    27 June 2025
    Company News

    Samsung unfolds the future with thinnest, lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet

    9 July 2025

    Huawei supercharges South African SMEs with over 20 new eKit products

    9 July 2025

    Webtonic cracks the talent code with AWS-powered TonicHub

    9 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.