Cell C lobs ‘weekend’ grenade at rivals

Added by Duncan McLeod on 4 October 2012.
Saved under News
Tags: , ,

The attacks on rivals keep coming as SA’s third mobile operator moves to build market share. Cell C has now taken the wraps off a weekend promotion that offers prepaid users 100% of their weekly recharge value back in airtime for use on weekends.

However, the free airtime applies only to on-network (Cell C to Cell C) calls and for text messages, multimedia messages and data. Cell C has 13% market share, meaning most calls from its network are to Vodacom and MTN numbers. Cell C’s move is clearly an effort to push up utilisation of its network over weekends and to encourage the growth in on-network traffic, which doesn’t attract interconnection charges from the other operators.

The operator says its “free weekend special” prepaid promotion allows 99 Cents For Real prepaid customers to get R20 of airtime value for free, for example, if they recharge with R20 any day of the week. “All recharges performed in the week accumulate towards total bonus airtime to be used over the weekend,” it says.

The airtime can be used to make on-network Cell C calls, send SMSes and MMSes or for Internet data usage. Premium-rated services and bundle recharges do not qualify for the bonus airtime. However, consumers will not have to opt in to benefit from the airtime.

The company says there is no minimum recharge value required to qualify for the extra weekend airtime and no maximum limit to the amount of bonus airtime available.

At weekends, the bonus airtime will be used up first. Bonus airtime accumulated during the week that is not used over the weekend will expire permanently at midnight on that Sunday.

The promotion will be available from 15 October and is slated to end on 13 January.  — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media

Share this article

  • Greg Mahlknecht

    Although any free stuff and price drops are great, I think this is a step in the wrong direction for CellC – up to now they’ve been differentiating themselves by offering cheap, simple pricing, and this special breaks all that. Only on weekends, Only on CellC networks, and only if you’ve charged during the week. I would have expected them to come up with something more like “an hour free cellc-to-cellc calling on weekends”.

  • teklemon

    I think this is still a good recharge promo even though its only CellC to CellC. Read it with what AKC had revealed before that churn is still very high in CellC. Seems like 99c flat rate is not keeping the customers in CellC as many will feel 99c flat is a rip off during weekends and nights-When compared to other packages from other operators which gives lower rates at off periods. I think thats what CellC is “trying to” address with this.

  • Neill

    All good and well but I have friends on CellC and calling them or them calling me is a nightmare as 70% of the time you can make out a word they are saying due to noise on the line. Only alternative is to message them. I would definitely move over to CellC if they have great signal quality…

  • Davebee

    Good God, do I have to spell it out with matchstick men pictures to these operators?
    The public want CHEAPER BLOODY CALLS! Geddit?

  • SingingAnOldTune

    That is rubbish. I have been on Cell C since 2005 and have never had a call quality problem.

  • http://twitter.com/dialmedia Dial Media

    Nice start, but not enough. Check out new smartphone app from http://www.DialMedia.co.za. Offers money back on calls, regardless of network. Facilitating +1-million calls/month. More than half of its users are on Vodacom. About 1/3 MTN. Only 10% Cell C.

  • McTSA

    The more value adds that they introduce, that would be missed if on another network, will definitely increase retention.

    They’re heading in the right direction.

Why TechCentral?

We know that as a prospective advertiser, you are spoilt for choice. Our job is to demonstrate why TechCentral delivers the best return for your advertising spend.

TechCentral is South Africa’s online technology news leader. We don’t say that lightly. We believe we produce the country’s best and most insightful online tech news aimed at industry professionals and those interested in the fast-changing world of technology.

We provide news, reviews and comment, without fear or favour, that is of direct relevance to our fast-expanding audience. Proportionately, we provide the largest local audience of all technology-focused online publishers.

We do not constantly regurgitate press releases to draw in search engine traffic — we believe websites that do so are doing their readers and advertisers a disservice. Nor do we sell “editorial features”, offer advertising “press offices” or rely on online bulletin-board forums of questionable value to advertisers to bolster our traffic.

TechCentral, which is edited and written by award-winning South African journalists, cares about delivering top-quality content to draw in the business and consumer readers that are of most interest to technology advertisers.

We’d like the opportunity to demonstrate the value of directing a portion of your advertising budget to TechCentral, whether your company is in the technology field or not. Numerous opportunities exist for companies interested in reaching our audience of key decision-makers in South Africa’s dynamic information and communications technology sector. We offer packages that will deliver among the best returns on investment available in the online technology news space.

For more information about advertising opportunities, and how your organisation can benefit by publicising itself on TechCentral, please call us on 011-792-0449 during office hours. Or send us an e-mail and ask for our latest rate card and brochure.