Rain has launched a new device, with new wireless plans, that combines a portable speaker, 5G router and camera into one product.

Named the Loop, the Android-based device offers a touchscreen interface allowing users to add their own apps to the portable music system. According to Rain, it’s the first device of its kind in South Africa.

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Rain said that with the Loop, users can carry their Wi-Fi with them and take their “stereo music everywhere”. The Loop is “more than just a portable 5G router and stereo speakers”, it added.

Other features of the Loop include 4G and 5G Wi-Fi sharing (like a typical router), echo-cancelling microphones and dual-Sim functionality with “smart switching”. Rain has not revealed important details about the device, like its storage capacity and the quality of the built-in camera.

The Loop comes in four colour options: grey, orange, pink and green. Rain said Loop users (on certain plans) can get “free” access to “Loopzones”, selected “public spaces” where data is unlimited – provided the connection to the Rain network is made via a Loop device.

‘Smart switching’

Users can choose Loopzones that cover regions where their home or workplace is located. Data used in and outside of Loopzones is charged at different rates. Rain also has public Loopzones where users get unlimited data where fair-use terms and conditions apply. “Smart switching” changes the tariff automatically when users move in and out of Loopzones.

“With the Loop’s dual Sims and new smart switching technology, you only have to pay for unlimited in the places you use the most data,” Rain explained.

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The Loop devices are available via a monthly subscription plan where the data and device cost come bundled. Alternatively, users can opt to purchase the Loop outright and choose a data plan to use with it.

Bundled pricing starts at R475/month. That gets users 25GB of data monthly and access to Loopzones. A R675/month plan comes with 10GB of data but includes unlimited data at one Loopzone, which must be in a location specified upfront by the user.

Users can buy the device upfront, too, for R5 999. They can then get unlimited data at one Loopzone of their choosing for R450/month on a month-to-month basis. Or they can get 25GB month for connecting everywhere at R250/month.

According to Rain, Loop devices are network locked and can only be used on its network. Connectivity is provided at “best-effort” speeds and no minimum speed guarantees are given. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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