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Best cellphone contracts in South AfricaTarifica, an international telecom pricing provider, has ranked smartphone contracts in South Africa

Jan Vermeulen August 14, 2014 44 Comments 31Like Tweet 20

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Tarifica, a US company that tracks telecoms prices, has put together a ranking of cellphonecontracts in South Africa to show which package offers subscribers the best value.

What makes Tarifica’s index particularly interesting is that while it does differentiate betweencontracts that include a phone and those that don’t, it doesn’t limit the comparison to within pricebrackets.

Instead, Tarifica calculates a score for every plan, which can be used to compare plans acrossdifferent price ranges.

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Because mobile operators tend to publish newdeals every month, Tarifica recalculates itsscores monthly to ensure it remains current.

This means that the rankings shown in the belowtable should only be considered as accurate forthe month of August, or for as long as the dealsused in the comparison remain unchanged.

Plans without phones

Overall rank Category Plan Name Tarifica Score

1 Vodacom Smart S (SIM Card) – Promotion 100

2 Telkom Mobile Completely Unlimited (Sim Only) 97

3 Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 63

4 MTN MTN Sky (Without Device) – Promotion 56

5 Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 99 (12 months) 29

Plans with phones

Overall rank Category Plan Name Tarifica Score

1 Telkom Mobile Completely Unlimited (Samsung Galaxy S5) 100

2 MTN MTN Sky (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 63

3 Vodacom Red VIP (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 52

4 Cell C Infinity Select (Samsung Galaxy S5) 43

5 Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 399 (LG G2) 38

“We have a database that tracks 315 mobile network operators and mobile virtual networkoperators in 80 different countries,” a Tarifica spokesperson told MyBroadband.

This data is plugged into an algorithm which was built to distill the consumer-friendliness of acontract plan to a single number.

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Tarifica’s model was built by a team of analysts and shown to a number of operators andregulators around the world for feedback.

The algorithm takes all of the following factors into consideration, the company’s spokespersonsaid:

All the costs (amortised over 2 years), including activation fees and other once-off costsIncluded value (i.e. data, voice, SMS)Level of service, taking into account network speed and coverageIncluded value-added servicesAll other features included with the contract

In addition to the overall rankings, Tarifica also provided charts of plans per price bracket.

The following table shows how South Africa’s operators compare in different price changes.

Plans without phones

Monthly rental fee of R100 or less

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 50 (SIM Card) – Promotion 77

2 Cell C SmartChat 1 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 48

3 Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 99 (12 months) 29

4 MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 6 months –Promotion 21

N/A TelkomMobile No postpaid plans offered in this category N/A

Monthly rental fee of R101 to R300

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Vodacom Smart S (SIM Card) – Promotion 100

2 Cell C SmartChat 3 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 58

3 TelkomMobile SmartPlan 50 (Sim Only) 54

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4 Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 149 (Month to Month) 29

5 MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 6 months –Promotion 19

Monthly rental fee of R301 to R500

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Cell C SmartChat 6 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 63

2 TelkomMobile SmartPlan 250 (Sim Only) 56

3 Vodacom Smart L (SIM Card) – Promotion 55

4 Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 399 (Month to Month) 29

5 MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 6 months –Promotion 14

Monthly rental fee of R501 to R1000

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 63

2 TelkomMobile SmartPlan 500 (Sim Only) 47

3 Vodacom uChoose Smart XL (SIM Card) – Promotion 42

4 MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 6 months –Promotion 16

N/A Virgin Mobile No postpaid plans offered in this category N/A

Monthly rental fee of R1001 and over

Rank Category Plan NameTarificaScore

1 TelkomMobile Completely Unlimited (Sim Only) 97

2 MTN MTN Sky (Without Device) – Promotion 56

3 Vodacom Red VIP (SIM Card) – Promotion 53

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N/A Cell C No postpaid plans offered in this category N/A

N/A Virgin Mobile No postpaid plans offered in this category N/A

The next table shows how South Africa’s mobile operators compare with respect to contracts thatinclude a device.

Plans with phones

Monthly rental fee of R100 or less

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 79 (Nokia Asha 210) 25

2 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 50 (Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus) 2

N/A Cell C Plans were scored with higher end devices if available N/A

N/A MTN Plans were scored with higher end devices if available N/A

N/A TelkomMobile Plans were scored with higher end devices if available N/A

Monthly rental fee of R101 to R300

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 TelkomMobile SmartSaver 50 (Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini) 77

2 Cell C Hi5 (Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini Smartphone) 20

3 Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 129 (Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite) 16

4 MTN My MTN Choice 50 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) –Promotion

8

5 Vodacom uChoose Flexi 150 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 2

Monthly rental fee of R301 to R500

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 Cell C Red Bull Mobile 200 (Samsung Galaxy S5) 41

2 Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 399 (LG G2) 38

Telkom

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3 Mobile SmartPlan 50 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – With Device 35

4 Vodacom Smart S (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 17

5 MTN My MTN Choice 100 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 13

Monthly rental fee of R501 to R1000

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 TelkomMobile SmartPlan 100 (Samsung Galaxy S5) 58

2 Cell C SmartChat 3GB (Samsung Galaxy S5) 38

3 Vodacom Red Advantage (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 29

4 Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 569 (Samsung Galaxy Note 3) 17

5 MTN My MTN Choice 200 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 11

Monthly rental fee of R1001 and over

Rank Category Plan Name TarificaScore

1 TelkomMobile Completely Unlimited (Samsung Galaxy S5) 100

2 MTN MTN Sky (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 63

3 Vodacom Red VIP (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 52

4 Cell C Infinity Select (Samsung Galaxy S5) 43

N/A Virgin Mobile No postpaid plans offered in this category N/A

Scores are not absolute. Tarifica calculates a rating out of 100 for each contract relative to theother deals in the market.

The factors used to calculate the scores are also not all weighted equally.

Tarifica’s spokesperson explained that features easily substituted by so-called “over-the-top”services were weighted significantly less than others.

SMS, for example, is easily substituted by instant messaging applications, so the number of textmessages included on a contract doesn’t impact the Tarifica score as much as data or voice does.

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“The two most critical factors in a plan is its price and included data,” Tarifica said.

One of the winning plans this month — a Vodacom contract — had a promotion for an extra 1GBof data.

Weightings for the various features were chosen with the input from a survey conductedon consumers, Tarifica said, particularly those with heavy mobile usage habits.

The perceived value of the contract is further weighted according to an estimate of the servicelevels that can be expected from a network, such as download speeds and coverage.

Asked how they measure download speeds, Tarifica said that it uses a few different sources to getan average download speed from the network.

It also looks at the number of base stations as an indicator of network coverage.

“We’re very cognisant of Cell C’s relatively slow download speeds and smaller coverage,” Tarificasaid, adding that the network’s deals were penalised accordingly.

Queried about MTN’s relatively poor showing in their charts, Tarifica said the low data volumes onthe majority of MTN’s plans negatively impacted their ranking.

Tarifica said that even though MTN’s service level scores may be higher, it is hard to takeadvantage of their network.

Two more tables are embedded below which show Tarifica’s overall rankings for contracts with andwithout phones in South Africa.

The first table shows the Tarifica charts for August 2014 for contract plans without phones.

Plans without phones

Operator Plan Name TarificaScores

Vodacom Smart S (SIM Card) – Promotion 100

TelkomMobile Completely Unlimited (Sim Only) 97

Vodacom uChoose Smart S (SIM Card) – Promotion 88

Vodacom Smart M (SIM Card) – Promotion 79

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Vodacom uChoose Flexi 50 (SIM Card) – Promotion 77

Vodacom uChoose Smart M (SIM Card) – Promotion 69

Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (18 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (6 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 8 GB (Month to Month) – SIM only 63

Cell C SmartChat 6 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 6 GB (18 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 6 GB (6 months) – SIM Only 63

Cell C SmartChat 6 GB (Month to Month) – SIM only 63

Cell C SmartChat 3 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 58

Cell C SmartChat 3 GB (18 months) – SIM Only 58

Cell C SmartChat 3 GB (6 months) – SIM Only 58

Cell C SmartChat 3 GB (Month to Month) – SIM only 58

Cell C Red Bull Mobile 200 (24 Month) – SIM only 57

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 250 (Sim Only) 56

MTN MTN Sky (Without Device) – Promotion 56

Vodacom Smart L (SIM Card) – Promotion 55

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 50 (Sim Only) 54

Vodacom Red VIP (SIM Card) – Promotion 53

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 150 (SIM Card) – Promotion 52

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 250 (Sim Only) 51

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 100 (Sim Only) 51

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 150 (Sim Only) 50

MTN MTN Sky (Without Device) 50

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TelkomMobile SmartPlan 375 (Sim Only) 49

Cell C SmartChat 1 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 1 GB (18 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 1 GB (6 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 1 GB (Month to Month) – SIM Only 48

Vodacom uChoose Smart L (SIM Card) – Promotion 48

Cell C SmartChat 2 GB (12 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 2 GB (18 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 2 GB (6 months) – SIM Only 48

Cell C SmartChat 2 GB (Month to Month) – SIM only 48

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 350 (SIM Card) – Promotion 47

TelkomMobile SmartPlan 500 (Sim Only) 47

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 150 (Sim Only) 45

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 375 (Sim Only) 45

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 100 (Sim Only) 45

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 500 (Sim Only) 44

Cell C Infinity Select (24 Month) – SIM only 43

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 200 (SIM Card) – Promotion 42

Vodacom uChoose Smart XL (SIM Card) – Promotion 42

Vodacom Red Advantage (SIM Card) – Promotion 41

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 100 (SIM Card) – Promotion 40

Vodacom Red VIP (SIM Card) 38

Vodacom Red Premium (SIM Card) – Promotion 37

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Vodacom uChoose Flexi 500 (SIM Card) – Promotion 36

TelkomMobile SmartSaver 50 (Sim Only) 35

MTN MTN Prestige Plus – Use your own 32

Cell C 99C Straight Up Infinity (24 Month) – SIM only 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 99 (12 months) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 149 (Month to Month) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 199 (Month to Month) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 299 (Month to Month) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 399 (Month to Month) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 499 (Month to Month) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 199 (12 Months) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 299 (12 Months) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 399 (12 Months) 29

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 499 (12 Months) 29

Vodacom Smart XL (SIM Card) – Promotion 26

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 29 (Month to Month) 25

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 750 (SIM Card) – Promotion 25

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 99 (Month to Month) 24

Vodacom Red Premium (SIM Card) 22

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 21

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 21

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 21

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 21

Vodacom Red Advantage (SIM Card) 21

Virgin Mobile BYO Topup 49 (Month to Month) 20

Vodacom Smart XL (SIM Card) 20

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 19

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MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 19

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 19

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 19

Cell C Red Bull Mobile 100 (24 Month) – SIM only 19

Cell C HI5 (24 Month) – SIM Only 18

Vodacom uChoose Smart XL (SIM Card) 18

Vodacom Smart L (SIM Card) 17

Cell C 99C Straight Up 800 (12 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 800 (18 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 800 (6 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight Up 800 (Month to Month) – SIM only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 Top Up (24 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 400 (12 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 400 (18 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 400 (6 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 400 (Month to Month) – SIM only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 Top Up (24 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 200 (12 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 200 (18 months) – SIM Only 17

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Cell C 99C Straight up 200 (6 months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99C Straight up 200 (Month to Month) – SIM only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM Only 17

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM Only 17

Vodacom Smart M (SIM Card) 17

Vodacom Smart S (SIM Card) 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 100 (12 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 100 (18 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 100 (6 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 100 (Month to Month) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM Only 16

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 16

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 16

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 16

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 16

Cell C 99C Straight Up 50 (12 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight Up 50 (18 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99c Straight Up 50 (24 Months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight Up 50 (6 months) – SIM Only 16

Cell C 99C Straight Up 50 (Month to Month) – SIM only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 50 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 50 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM only 16

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Cell C 99C Straight up 50 Top Up (24 Months) – SIM only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 50 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM only 16

Cell C 99C Straight up 50 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM only 16

Vodacom uChoose Smart L (SIM Card) 16

Cell C ChatMore 400 (Month-to-Month SIM only) 15

Vodacom uChoose Smart M (SIM Card) 15

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 15

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 15

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 15

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 15

Vodacom uChoose Smart S (SIM Card) 15

Cell C ChatMore 200 (Month-to-Month SIM only) 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 (12 months) – SIM Only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 (18 months) – SIM Only 15

Cell C 99c Straight Up 30 (24 Months) -SIM Only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 (6 months) – SIM Only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 (Month to Month) – SIM only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 Top Up (12 Months) – SIM only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 Top Up (18 Months) – SIM only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 Top Up (24 Months) – SIM only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 Top Up (6 Months) – SIM only 15

Cell C 99C Straight up 30 Top Up (Month to Month) – SIM only 15

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 14

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 14

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 14

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 14

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 12

My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 12 months –

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MTN Promotion 12

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 18 months –Promotion 12

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 24 months –Promotion 12

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 6 months – Promotion 11

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 12 months – Promotion 11

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 18 months – Promotion 11

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 24 months – Promotion 11

MTN MTN AnyTime 50 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime 50 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime 50 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime 50 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 50 – 6 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 50 – 12 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 50 – 18 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 50 – 24 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak 50 – 6 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak 50 – 12 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak 50 – 18 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak 50 – 24 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 50 – 6 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 50 – 12 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 50 – 18 months 7

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 50 – 24 months 7

MTN MTN AnyTime 100 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 100 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 100 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

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MTN MTN AnyTime 100 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 100 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 100 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 100 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 100 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 100 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 100 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 100 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 100 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 100 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 100 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 100 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 100 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1500 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1500 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1500 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1500 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 750 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 750 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 750 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 750 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 750 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 750 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 750 – 18 months 6

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MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 750 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 350 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 350 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 350 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 350 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 350 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 350 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 350 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 350 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 500 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 500 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 500 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 500 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 500 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 200 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 200 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 200 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 200 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 200 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 200 – 12 months 6

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MTN MTN Off Peak 200 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak 200 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 200 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 200 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 200 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN Off Peak TopUp 200 – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime 1200 (Postpaid) – Consumer – 24 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1200 – 6 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1200 – 12 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1200 – 18 months 6

MTN MTN AnyTime TopUp 1200 – 24 months 6

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 6 months 6

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 12 months 6

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 18 months 6

MTN My MTN Choice 1000 – Use your own – 24 months 6

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 6 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 12 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 18 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 500 – Use your own – 24 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 6 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 12 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 18 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 350 – Use your own – 24 months 5

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 6 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 12 months 4

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MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 18 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 200 – Use your own – 24 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 6 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 12 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 18 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 100 – Use your own – 24 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 6 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 12 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 18 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 50 – Use your own – 24 months 4

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 750 (SIM Card) 4

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 6 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 12 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 18 months 4

MTN My MTN Choice 25 – Use your own – 24 months 4

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 500 (SIM Card) 4

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 200 (SIM Card) 3

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 350 (SIM Card) 3

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 50 (SIM Card) 3

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 100 (SIM Card) 3

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 150 (SIM Card) 3

Tarifica’s ranking of cellular contracts in South Africa which include mobile phones is shown in thetable below.

Plans with phones

Operator Plan Name Tarifica Scores

Telkom Mobile Completely Unlimited (Samsung Galaxy S5) 100

Telkom Mobile SmartSaver 50 (Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini) 77

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MTN MTN Sky (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 63

MTN MTN Sky (Samsung Galaxy S5) 59

Telkom Mobile SmartPlan 100 (Samsung Galaxy S5) 58

Vodacom Red VIP (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 52

Cell C Infinity Select (Samsung Galaxy S5) 43

MTN MTN Prestige Plus (Samsung Pocket Neo) – Promotion 42

Cell C Red Bull Mobile 200 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 41

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 399 (LG G2) 38

Cell C SmartChat 3GB (Samsung GALAXY S5) 38

Telkom Mobile SmartPlan 50 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – With Device 35

Vodacom Red Premium (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 31

Vodacom Red Advantage (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 29

Vodacom Smart XL (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 26

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 79 (Nokia Asha 210) 25

Vodacom uChoose Smart XL (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 24

Vodacom Smart L (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 22

Vodacom uChoose Smart L (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 21

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 99 (Samsung Fame Lite) 20

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 99 (Nokia Asha 210) 20

Cell C Hi5 (Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini Smartphone) 20

Vodacom Smart M (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 19

Vodacom uChoose Smart M (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 18

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 469 (Samsung Galaxy S4) 18

Cell C 99c Straight Up 800 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 18

Vodacom Smart S (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 17

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 569 (Nokia Lumia 1020) 17

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 569 (Samsung Galaxy Note 3) 17

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Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 299 (LG G2) 16

Vodacom uChoose Smart S (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 16

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 129 (Samsung Galaxy Fame Lite) 16

Cell C SmartChat 1GB (Samsung GALAXY S5) 15

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 389 (Samsung Galaxy S4) 15

Cell C 99c Straight Up 400 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 14

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 269 (Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo) 13

MTN My MTN Choice 100 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 13

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 Top Up (Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini) 12

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 149 (Nokia Lumia 520) 12

MTN My MTN Choice 200 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 11

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 269 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 11

MTN My MTN Choice 350 (Samsung Galaxy S5) – Promotion 11

Cell C ChatMore 400 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 11

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 199 (Nokia Lumia 520) 10

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 469 (Nokia Lumia 1020) 10

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 469 (Samsung Galaxy Note 3) 10

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Contract 249 (Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo) 10

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 9

Cell C 99c Straight Up 200 Top Up (Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini) 9

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 399 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 9

MTN My MTN Choice 50 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) – Promotion 8

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 599 (Samsung Galaxy S4) 8

Virgin Mobile Smartphone Topup 669 (Nokia Lumia 1020) 7

Cell C ChatMore 200 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 7

Cell C 99c Straight Up 100 (Samsung GALAXY S5) 5

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 200 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 3

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 50 (Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus) 2

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Vodacom uChoose Flexi 350 (with Samsung Galaxy S5) 2

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 150 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 2

Vodacom uChoose Flexi 100 (Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini) 2

Cell C Straight Up Standard (Samsung GALAXY S5) 0

Plans for the future

Asked about their future plans for the Tarifica index, the spokesperson said they were consideringincluding a bonus for plans with shorter contract lengths.

“Currently, all plans are set to a two-year time frame to give an even base for comparison,” Tarificasaid. “However, we feel that the current 2-year basis for the model still accurately reflects theconsumer value of the core included features of plans.”

Tarifica is also developing a model to compare the pre-paid options available from mobileoperators around the world.

Their analysts have built the model and are currently soliciting feedback from industry andregulators.

It will also be possible to compare plans across countries in future, Tarifica said.

This would require that their algorithm be run across the contracts in all of the countries that formpart of the comparison, with adjustments for purchasing power parity to level the playing field.

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• Reply •

Phonefinder • 2 months ago

With these new scoring techniques (Tariffic is another local service), the Network pricewars and consumer's becoming more price-savvy (and educated) hopefully our localdeals will one day meet up with overseas deals. In the meanwhile all we can do is makeeducated decisions based on the options we have.

S.A is buzzing with cell phone activity - so it looks like we are finally moving into a"smart" smart contract environment.

Ga77a you are 100% correct in my opinion, picking out a contract requires the toughdecision of "which phone to get".

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• Reply •

Ga77a • 3 months ago

see more

Were they high when doing this research. I'm only speaking of SIM only contracts hereas phone contracts require the benefits, cost and personal preference of the device to beassessed.

The fact that these SIM only contracts require the user to stick strictly within theconfines of the 'free' value added bundles makes the scoring system redundant. The perminute tariff on all low value contracts is so high that stepping out of your bundleimmediately would reduce the score significantly from a customer value perspective. Sothe solution would be to move to a more expensive contract with a lower score.

I have done the calculations before there are only 3 real pricing categories.

Hermit - You only make 5 x 2 minute phone calls a month and maybe check email. Bestvalue for money.

Normal user - It doesn't matter what you choose. The cost difference is negligible at theend of the day. Might as well pick your favorite colour from red, yellow and black.

Heavy user - You have paid for a premium service that has loads of free stuff andunlimited calls and data. You need to be on the phone and internet 24/7 to get value. And

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• Reply • △ ▽

• Reply •

John-Phillip Saayman • 3 months ago

Scary how bad the scores are with contracts above R300. So basically you only getgood value if you get the Unlimited plans.

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• Reply •

Brandon van Reenen • 3 months ago

Too long, didn't read.PS. no such thing as a "best contract" - they're all dumb

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• Reply •

Robert Ferraris • 3 months ago

Wow, this needs a serious TLDR.. anywho... I have Telkom Mobile, Galaxy S4...R370pm with 5Gigs Telkom Mobile Data, 125mb All network data (which is what mostother networks give you for their own data without the 5gigs) and 100Minutes pm... italso stacks up. I have 9gigs left on my phone right now and it's the 15th

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• Reply •

Some Person • 3 months ago

Why would any normal person want a cell contract? they never have any of the benefitsof a pre-paid subscriber wrt call costs, promo's etc and if you don't like their services,just try another network. It's become so easy to buy phones on credit at reasonableprices, and pre-paid SIM's cost about R1 once-off (why pay contract SIM andconnection fees?). Operators don't seem to realise that if they want 24 monthcommitment from their customers, they need to make it more worthwhile than the pre-paid benefits

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Jacko Superb • 3 months ago> Some Person

well, if you want an expensive phone, it might work out cheaper on contract.

Example:

iPhone 5s - prepaid R11999On Vodacom contract Smart S R469 PM for 24 months = R11256. You also get 75 free min, 200 sms, and 500mb data.

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• Reply •

You also get 75 free min, 200 sms, and 500mb data.

Contract sounds fair enough to me compared to prepaid. △ ▽

• Reply •

Some Person • 3 months ago> Jacko Superb

iPhone 5 from the Orange store = R6535VC Prepaid :75 mins (@R1.20/min) = R90 ( or R59.25 on MTN @ R0.79/min)200 SMS (bundle) = R45 (would you really need 200 SMS?)500mb data bundle = R99...works out to R506.30/month over 24 months, but I would use a cheapernetwork anyway, and probably make use of their offers and promo's -point is, I'm not locked in to 24 months contract and I have lots morepromo's and benefits to choose from

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• Reply •

Steer away from Cell C • 3 months ago

Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM Cell C!!! I'm on a premium contract and havecontinuous interrupted services at my place of residence. Complained to them about itfor almost 6 months. Eventually posted a complaint on Hello Peter and got a response -"There is an OVER USAGE ISSUE in my area". So too many people on Cell C where Ilive!!! WTH!

I reported the case to The National Consumer Council - and even they are taking moretwo months to respond - REALLY!!!

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• Reply •

buster • 3 months ago> Steer away from Cell C

Any you think Cell C is a problem, I got a laptop from Vodacom five months ago, Icannot activate Windows 8 and Im on a business contract. They said theycannot do anything about it because it has it roots "Hello Peter?" Never workedfor me.

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UnskinnyBob • 3 months ago> Steer away from Cell C

Truth!

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• Reply •

Truth!

Best part about Cell C is the ability to cancel without penalties. 1△ ▽

• Reply •

DDynasty • 3 months ago> Steer away from Cell C

I feel you, i cant get connection, and when i do it is soooo slow, and calls dropmost of the time, logged a complaint 4 times and every time they say i said theproblem was resolved, and had techies sent to my house to see for them selvesand that was 3 months ago no solution, worst service provider i have ever beenon.

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• Reply •

Spaffy • 3 months ago

TL:DRI just came for the haters :P

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• Reply •

SamJoe • 3 months ago

Found that one deal listed is not applicable anymore, so old facts.Monthly rental fee of R301 to R500 Cell C Red Bull Mobile 200 (Samsung Galaxy S5) 41This deal is now R579, use to be R479. Not sure what other deals are no longer butappear here.

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• Reply •

_X_ • 3 months ago> SamJoe

At R479 it was a good deal...200 minutes and 1.5 GBI have the Straight-Up 200 Galaxy S5 for R550 = 200 min and 1GB! I was veryangry at Cell C but glad that they increased the price!

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SamJoe • 3 months ago> _X_

It was an amazing deal actually. I missed it cause I am waiting for myNashua Mobile CellC contract to expire so I can port to CellC. And I hadmy eye on it, and then the other day I saw its gone up by R100. That isjust crazy. So I am pretty angry at CellC as well. They probably realizedthat this was too cheap to keep going. Now I am just searching around.

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• Reply •

that this was too cheap to keep going. Now I am just searching around.Have 1 more month for my current contract to expire and everythingseems to expensive now compared to that deal.

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• Reply •

emone nomore • 3 months ago

They should have held back this article till Monday. Its just too heavy reading for aFriday!

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• Reply •

TheFunkyTechGuy • 3 months ago> emone nomore

Def not a Friday read. I skimmed so quickly past this and came straight to thecomments section.

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• Reply •

Lewi Lane • 3 months ago> TheFunkyTechGuy

LOL △ ▽

• Reply •

Mogo • 3 months ago> TheFunkyTechGuy

Heck, I've even skimmed passed some of the comments and only readthe ones with the most likes

2△ ▽

• Reply •

Eddy • 3 months ago> TheFunkyTechGuy

LOL same here 2△ ▽

• Reply •

Nemus • 3 months ago> emone nomore

i agree..... lol 2△ ▽

It's-a-fact • 3 months ago

I'm sorry but you really cannot compare cellphone contracts this way. It's WAY toodependent on HOW you use your device.

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• Reply •

Rather use this data and build a website where you specify your usage and then somenifty A.I that shows you what is the best deal for your usage profile.

Maybe I should write an app for that, anybody want to invest? 1△ ▽

• Reply •

Johan • 3 months ago

I don't think this is a realistic ranking system. Take First ranking Vodocom is top withSmart S. Yet the cellc deal (Not the one listed) is much better that what they offer. Don'tunderstand how they got to that. Look like the randomly picked packages andcompared?

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• Reply •

charles • 3 months ago

I had a contract with MTN . 24 months passed ,but they refused when i wanted tocancel. They were so ruuudeeee!!! Esp. something called "RETENTIONDEPARTMENT" I tried to make them understand that 24 months have passed ,i dontneed an upgrade ,they said no ,it will be difficult for you to get another one (lies) ,we willcontinue to give you 2gb for the next 2 months bla !bla ! bla! . Not a pleasant experiencedealing with MTN . Will never go for an MTN contract in MY Life NO !

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• Reply •

Kyle McLaren • 3 months ago> charles

Had the same issue, they threatened that I would struggle to get another contractif I cancelled.

Hate MTN!!! 2△ ▽

• Reply •

It's-a-fact • 3 months ago> Kyle McLaren

Me too (and many people I know) see my previous comment! 3△ ▽

UZ • 3 months ago

The problem with these algorithms are that they assume phone, data and SMS value asall the same. I am not a typical user: I use about 10-20 minutes of phone calls per month,

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• Reply •

send about 10 SMSs, but then I use about 10GB of data. So any more phone calls orSMSs really ends up being a waste of money (in my case). Finding a contract thatmatches my use is really difficult.

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• Reply •

Daren Low • 3 months ago> UZ

That is exactly their strategy to milk you, bundling everything together, makingyou to pay for something that you don't really need. In fact, this is an ultimatecreation from Steve Jobs that evolutes the entire telco industry!

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• Reply •

HackSon • 3 months ago

Got an MTN contact back in April. Didn't look at my statement for a while but recentlynoticed that I signed a R229 a month contract but they add ~R30 VAT taking the cost to,do the maths. Question is, am I getting screwed?

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• Reply •

Spikey01 • 3 months ago> HackSon

All MTN contracts is structured to screw the customer! 9△ ▽

• Reply •

It's-a-fact • 3 months ago> Spikey01

And when you try to terminate your MTN contract after it expired, theypretend they never got your communication, or you didn't fill in the correctforms, or you never really called and cancelled. Then they sap you for anextra 2-3 months before you manage to get it terminated. This really is acommon occurrence with MTN, and I think they rank in millions becauseof it.

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• Reply •

Nicholas Thats All • 3 months ago> Spikey01

I Upgraded my 1 line in april, before the upgrade i was paying 800, after iwas supposed to pay 600 and they charged me 800 ever since. Fudgersare refusing the give me back what they have overcharged me.

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• Reply •

Qrox • 3 months ago

Aint nobody got time for that!Those tables are too damn long!

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• Reply •

Hulk • 3 months ago> Qrox

True that, I got over it after like the third table.... 1△ ▽

• Reply •

ratnik • 3 months ago

When shopping for a new contract, Its usually such a headache to get the info from thevarious operators and even then, they are not clear to be able to compare easily.

I think this list if published regularly will be a great addition to the info available toconsumers. I agree that they score the amount of included voice and data higher, Iexpect this will soon evolve to where included data is the most important score.

When I shop for cellphone contracts, I usually select the phone I want first, then shoparound for the best deal. I hope to see iPhone on the list when the next one launches.

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• Reply •

BruceAtt • 3 months ago> ratnik

Agreed! When you look at the list it's no wonder Samsung is the top sellingsmartphone in SA - all the carriers are pushing Samsung, and not one deal on theiPhone.

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• Reply •

_X_ • 3 months ago> BruceAtt

But Samsung make deals with carriers to add extra value...time for appleto do the same

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mani • 3 months ago

Did not care to read the complete article, but found this logical error at the beginning inTarificas analysis. How can they put Vodacom S data plan as the over all winnerbecause it is impossible to compare different categories? Its not apple to apple

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Eskom knew about silo problems:Solidarity19 comments • a day ago

South Africa could be in serious trouble28 comments • 7 hours ago

Gavin Venter —

ALSO ON MYBROADBAND TECHNOLOGY AND IT NEWS

• Reply •

because it is impossible to compare different categories? Its not apple to applecomparison. How can we say Suzuki is the best motorbike and toyota is the best fuelefficient car and ferrari the most stylish and then over all Suzuki is the best "vehicle"? (Inwhat sense?)With such simple mistakes, I dont trust their algorithm.

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• Reply •

Jan Vermeulen • 3 months agoMod > mani

If you read the complete article, you would have got an idea of how the calculatedthe score they use to compare plans across different pricing categories ;-)

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• Reply •

Xileer • 3 months ago

It's interesting to note that whilst Vodacom might be first, it's also the bottom 6 on "Planswithout phones" and 5 of 6 of the bottom of "Plans with phones"

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• Reply •

BruceAtt • 3 months ago> Xileer

Vodacom are only first because they currently have a promotion on that contract(1 GB additional data), and as explained, data is weighted heavily in theiralgorithm.

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• Reply •

Tim • 3 months ago

Too long didn't read 14△ ▽

• Reply •

RuTz • 3 months ago> Tim

Speak Selection: reads selected content. iOS. 1△ ▽

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