JOHANNESBURG - MTN’S customers were increasingly depleting their Anytime data (day-time data) before their next allocation amid Covid-19, with data usage almost doubling last year, according to the mobile operator.
MTN spokesperson Mthokozisi Ndlovu said in an interview yesterday that consumption of Anytime data continued to soar, because many people were working from home.
“MTN SA’s total data traffic has almost doubled from 2019 and, by using the temporary spectrum, we have been able to significantly increase the number of South Africans using data through our partnership with government and public benefit organisations. We have zero-rated more than 1 000 health and education websites, which are currently serving more than four million people each month, and in the past year we dropped the effective price of data by more than 30 percent,” said Ndlovu.
“In response to this, we revised some of our plans. For example, My MTNChoice 80GB @R299 used to include 40GB Anytime data and 40GB Night-time data. The revised package is now 50GB Anytime data, 30GB Night-time data and free once-off 20GB Home Bundle. This means our customers are now getting more value on Anytime data without a price adjustment,” Ndlovu said.
The lockdown imposed by the government at the end of March last year saw many public institutions and people resorting to increased online banking, studying and buying goods.
Many businesses that generally traded via physical stores developed and invested in online transacting platforms. This included service providers such as medical schemes that have created channels that allow their clients to connect with them online. Many businesses have moved to using WhatsApp messenger, while others increasingly advertise on social media platforms.
MTN said its records showed that some customers had activated their data sharing and hot-spot options on their device settings.
Ndlovu said MTN encouraged customers to control their data sharing by setting a daily usage limit, as some devices may automatically update apps, or the user might be using data-intensive services, such as streaming and gaming, which would result in faster data depletion.
With the lockdown and work-from-home arrangements, many consumers tended to spend more time on their devices.
Ndlovu said MTN had seen a spike in data consumption, particularly on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Netflix, DSTV and gaming.
He said that Anytime data consumption was dominated by Google searches, WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, and telecon platforms such as Zoom, Skype and MS Teams. Night Express data consumption was dominated by streaming platforms, including Netflix and DStv, and Google downloads.
MTN said there had been a shift in where date was consumed, with low usage in central business districts and higher-than-normal usage in suburbs.
BUSINESS REPORT