MTN backtracks on BB capped data

Published Jun 19, 2013

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Durban - Four months after telling its subscribers it would no longer offer unlimited internet access to BlackBerry users, MTN has done an about-turn and brought back the unlimited service.

The move follows a backlash from subscribers.

In February, MTN told its BlackBerry subscribers that the

BlackBerry Internet Service from MTN would be capped at 200 megabytes and was to be referred to as BlackBerry Absolute for R59 a month.

It was the out-of-bundle rate of 65c a megabyte, which applied when the 200MB limit was reached, that infuriated subscribers, who threatened to move to Vodacom or Cell C.

 

MTN claimed the plan was to make the network more efficient.

However, this week, MTN subscribers received an SMS that read: “Yello! MTN has brought back your unlimited service on BlackBerry Absolute. Your service will not be capped to 200MB. Continue to enjoy a world-class experience with MTN on your BlackBerry.”

Reacting to the news on Twitter, @TawizzySA tweeted: “MTN brought the BlackBerry Internet Service back too late 470k people ported to other networks. This excludes the million or so people who just shifted and got new numbers!”

Mnqobi_Banele tweeted: “MTN unlimited is back… Such nonsense… Bayasijwayela yaz laba (They are fooling us). Nxa (clicks tongue)!”

@IamZondi wrote that MTN’s South African division lost 470 000 customers between January and March. “People love their BlackBerry Internet Service, best believe,” he tweeted.

MTN spokeswoman Bridget Bhengu said she would respond to emailed questions on Wednesday. - The Mercury

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