MTN increases monthly contract prices

A shopper walks past an MTN shop at a mall in Johannesburg, South Africa on 2 March 2017. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

The impact of the inflationary environment has resulted in increased input costs, driven by load shedding and rising fuel usage, which have been further aggravated by ongoing battery theft and vandalism. All of this has compelled MTN to review its contract pricing.

“Our commitment has been to keep these increases to a minimum, and below inflation, in an effort to deliver quality services to our customers as cost effectively as possible. While these cost increases are unavoidable, we continue to invest in our network and battery rollout to ensure our customers enjoy the best connectivity in the country. We remain committed to working with local authorities, communities and our partners to look for innovative solutions to tackle to the relentless theft and vandalism of our sites across the country, which continue to increase our spend on repair and security,” says MTN SA’s chief of consumer, Ernst Fonternel.

In some instances, the actual subscription fee increase may be higher than the average of 5.1%, with a maximum of 7.4%. This mainly represents a R10 increase from R135 to R145 on its Mega XS price plans. Voice call rates per minute have increased on average by 4.0% or a maximum of 10c per minute whereas the out-of-bundle data and SMS rates have been reduced to R0.25 per MB and R0.35 per message respectively. Instalments on handsets and other devices as part of contract deals will not be affected by the increase.

“We want to assure customers we are working very hard to build the resilience of our network with batteries and generators and added security to guard against theft and vandalism. MTN will continue to deliver the best network and products that add value to our customers and we thank them for their loyalty,” says Fonternel.

He added that MTN remains focused on making communication more accessible to more South Africans. “MTN’s purchase of additional high-demand spectrum in 2022 has enabled improved speeds with larger and more cost-effective bundles. This has complemented MTN’s ongoing commitment to further drive down the cost to communicate in South Africa in terms of which we have reduced the average effective rate per MB by more than 38% over the past three years.”

Customers who have signed up for the existing price plans have been informed about the price plan adjustments by MTN’s customer service representatives. The price plan increase date may vary depending on the customer’s billing cycle. However, all terms and conditions will remain the same.