Webafrica recently became the first ISP in South Africa to launch Telkom fixed-LTE packages which do not require customers to take out a contract.
These fixed-LTE offerings are available on a month-to-month basis and can be cancelled with one month’s notice being given.
Telkom’s fixed-LTE packages include Anytime data in addition to Night Surfer data, which can only be used from midnight to 07:00 daily.
Webafrica customers who sign up for one of these fixed-LTE packages will receive a free Huawei B525 router with their LTE package, which remains the property of the ISP.
Month-to-month fixed-LTE
While Webafrica may be the only ISP to currently offer month-to-month fixed LTE over Telkom’s network, many local ISPs offer Cell C fixed-LTE packages which also do not require subscribers to take out a contract.
Cell C’s month-to-month fixed LTE packages are priced identically across all ISPs and include flat anytime data balances without any bonus data allocation.
We compared the month-to-month Telkom fixed-LTE packages available from Webafrica with Cell C’s month-to-month packages available from numerous ISPs across the country.
| Month-to-month Fixed-LTE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Package | Anytime Data | Night Surfer Data | Price |
| Cell C 20GB | 20GB | – | R219 |
| Telkom 20GB | 20GB | 10GB | R249 |
| Cell C 50GB | 50GB | – | R349 |
| Telkom 40GB | 40GB | 20GB | R359 |
| Telkom 70GB | 70GB | 50GB | R459 |
| Cell C 100GB | 100GB | – | R530 |
| Telkom 100GB | 100GB | 100GB | R759 |
| Cell C 200GB | 200GB | – | R845 |
| Telkom 200GB | 200GB | 200GB | R1,059 |
Night Surfer data
When comparing the balance of the anytime data bundle with the price of each package, the Cell C packages seem to offer the better deal.
However, Webafrica’s month-to-month Telkom packages include a large amount of Night Surfer data which can only be used between midnight and 07:00 every day.
This means that if you often use your fixed-LTE connection between these hours or change your schedule to do so, the month-to-month Telkom packages offered through Webafrica may offer more value than the Cell C packages.
Customers who are primarily concerned with the amount of anytime data, however, will find that Cell C fixed-LTE packages from various ISPs offer the better deal.
It should also be noted that the Anytime data on the Telkom LTE packages is valid for 61 days before it expires, while Night Surfer and Top-Up data is valid for 30 days.
Cell C monthly data expires at the end of each month, and Top-Up data bundles are valid for 30 days after purchase.
Telkom LTE Top-Up data bundles can be purchased from Webafrica, with the smallest 10GB bundle priced at R249. In comparison, 1GB of Cell C Top-Up data from many ISPs is priced at R12.50 for 1GB.
However, it is important to note that the Top-Up data bundle prices for Telkom’s fixed-LTE packages become more attractive as the bundle size increases. For example, a 200GB bundle is priced at R1,055 which amounts to only R5.28 per GB.
Source: mybroadband
