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Vodacom’s newest ‘Red is Mofaya’ offering outshines Cell C Whoosh!On the 1st May 2011 Vodacom will be releasing their newest ‘special deal’ on broadband called Red is Mofaya. Looks like competition in the mobile broadband market is starting to heat up, since Cell C launched its Whoosh service late last year all the providers have been improving their network speeds and dropping their costing for broadband internet. Cell C were the first provider to offer speeds of 21.6 Mbps breaking their rivals max speeds of 7.2, Vodacom not to be outdone released their 43.2Mbps network on the 16th of April followed shortly by Cell C releasing their 43.3Mbps network on the 19th April (only 3 days later, although only in Port Elizabeth for now). Cell C have been the recent leaders in mobile internet, been the fastest and cheapest since late last year, although this now seems to all be changing. With the new Red is Mofaya offer from Vodacom, this now places them in the same price bracket as Cell C with their 2GB Whoosh offering at R149, and with their extra Night Owl data bundle adding another 2GB of data to the package, not only does this now make Vodacom the cheapest, but with their new network upgrades, it makes them the fastest and hence the new leaders in the mobile internet market. Comparison between Vodacom’s Red is Mofaya vs. Cell C Whoosh Vodacom Cost: R149 Modem: 7.2Mbps Data: 2GB+2GB Cell C Cost: R149 Modem: 7.2Mbps Data: 2GB
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April 26th, 2011 | Category: Internet |
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15 comments to Vodacom’s newest ‘Red is Mofaya’ offering outshines Cell C Whoosh! |
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How can Vodacom be the cheapest !?
You are a moron dumb ass,,,
Cell C data bundle works ou much cheaper.
Do some research before posting garbage,…
Let’s see, 4GB of data for R149 per month (Vodacom), or 2GB of data for R149 per month (Cell C). Nope my research is just fine, but thanks for your comment.
Hi Jay,
Still investigating all my options. Unfortunately Cell C does not have any coverage in my area, thus I am looking at the Vodacom Red is Mofaya option. A brief research (2 or 3 blogs as well as hellopeter) has me concerned. It seems that it is a 24 month contract of which only the first 12 months are at the R149/month rate. Thereafter you pay R349/month and the Night owl 2 Gigs falls away after the first 12 months. Not sure it is such a great deal, but rather a misleading marketing gimmick. I am now looking at the ADSL option in conjunction with a SP like Afrihost who sells a Gig of Data for R29/month. It will be more than the R149/month, but in the long run it might just end up cheaper.
Source:
http://www.igeek.co.za/2011/04/18/vodacom-2gb2gb-promotion-not-that-cheap-afterall/
http://www.hellopeter.com/vodacom-complaint-%5B576071%5D
Thanks for the comment GWJ, and yes one of the biggest problems with Cell C at the moment is their coverage. I get great coverage from them at home, but considering I spend most of my time at clients where there is no signal, it’s doesn’t always work out as the better option. I use the Cell C whoosh as a adsl replacement at home since Telkom messed up my line and after they fixed it 7 times in 2 months, I gave up, cancelled it and got the whoosh for home usage and very happy with it.
Your points about Vodacom are very valid. They caused quite a stir in April when they announced their special and people noticed the 24 month clause. Shortly afterwards the offer was removed off their website and just a couple days later it went back onto their website with the terms and conditions changed again to what they original offered, without the misleading marketing. I have not personally signed up for this special, so I have not read the fine print, but even on igeek (a site you have referenced above) he also states in another post that Vodacom did clarify their ‘mistake’ and the contract is now a 12 month contract as originally advertised.
I do have another trick for you though that you might be interested in. Vodacom have an Internet starter package which costs a once off fee of R399. This gives you a modem and 100MB of per month for 12 months. No contract. Now although 100MB of data is not going to get you very far, you can buy additional data bundles which last for the month you are in, and the next calendar month, so if you buy the bundle on the first of the month, it will last for two months. This is the exact setup I have on my iPad ( which I’m using to type this reply, so please excuse spelling mistakes
)
Now with regards to your adsl statement, I’m not the best person to speak to as I had endless problems with my line, but then I have friends that have never had a days trouble. So I guess it’s also based on location and exchange quality. The reason I’m a big fan of 3G is the portability of it. I have connections with all three of the providers and I honestly can tell you, they all have pros and cons. In some areas MTN outsides everyone with signal and speed, in other places Vodacom is the only signal I can get, and at home Cell C is the fastest.
Good luck in your choice, the only thing you can do is find out all the pros and cons, and go for the best one, or in my case, multiple options.
This is an excellent discussion on the merits of cheaper mobile broadband offerings in South Africa. Before Cell C’s woosh product it was limited. And now at least we have some action from the likes of Vodacom. Does anyone know where to order Vodacom Mofaya online?
Jay.I am just about to sign for the Red is Mofaya contract.Is it really a 12month contract or there is a catch?Plus,can I carry over unused data to the following month?I am currently using the 3.6Mbs modem (on prepaid).Will the Mofaya be better,in terms of speed? Could u enlighten me more abt this contract? Regards man.
Hi Davies,
I’ve heard conflicting reports.
One of my mates told me that it’s a 24 month contract and the price goes up to around R360 a month for the second year and the night owl special will fall away (this was also stated by GWJ in the comments above). The same mate of mine also told me that Vodacom had said that he can cancel the contract after the first year, which I believe might be accurate with the new consumer act, but lets face facts, it’s probably going to be a pain in the a$$
I’ve had a colleague tell me they got the deal with just a 12 month contract.
Both of my sources are reliable, so I think it might have being a matter of timing. As mentioned before, Vodacom have changed their T&C’s about 4 times since they first released the Red is Mafaya package, which is poor to begin with.
I can only suggest that if you do decide you want to get the Red is Mafaya package, go into Vodacom and ask to see the contract and read the T&C’s with a fine tooth comb before signing anything.
If you do get your hands on the contract, please would you drop us a comment to tell us what the current situation is with them.
Based on the amount of reports on the internet and all the conflicting stories I’m hearing from friends and colleges, I’m not sure I would get the contract with them, just on principle!
As for your question regarding the speed. Assuming you are in a “perfect signal” area, you would never get more than 3.6Mb/s based on the limitation of your modem. The highest speed I have ever received from Vodacom was 5.6Mb/s which I was pretty impressed with but on average I’m getting around 1.5Mb/s – 3Mb/s depending on my location. So in honesty, I don’t think your card will limit you much more than anyone else for the time being. Vodacom are currently upgrading their network (so is Cell C) to offer the new 43MB/s network speeds. At the end of the day, it’s not the package that is going to determine your speed, it’s the service provider (in this case Vodacom) and your modem speed. If you are already using your prepaid modem with Vodacom (the same way I use mine), getting Red is Mafaya is not going to make it any faster, you would just have a different allocation of data and cost.
I hope this helps, and thanks for your comment.
Jay
Hi, I just purchased the Vodacom contract, and after extensive discussion with the Vodacom sales person, and going through the T&C’s I’m quite happy.
It is a 12 month contract, but you have to cancell it in the 11th month( 1 month notice for 12 months), if you do not, it rolls over to a 24 month contract, and then becomes R399 pm. so the cancellling is the only pain. I have pretty good reception in my area, so my download speed is pretty good. The 2 gigs also rolls over, but only for the next month, there after is void
Hi Travis,
Good to know, thanks for finding out and sharing the information. Now it’s just a case of you remembering to cancel your subscription at 11 months. I’m guessing that Vodacom is hoping that people will forget, and lets face facts, most people will. At R399 per month that is going to make them a BUNDLE of money. It’s also a good thing that the new consumer act has kicked in, before the act it would not have been possible to cancel your contract without paying for the full 24 month term.
Thanks again for your feedback,
Jay
Just a quick update to confuse everyone a little more. I was browsing Vodacom’s website this morning and came across this offer.
http://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/Deals/Broadband/Broadband+Deals/214%2CVodafone+K3770+USB+Modem+on+Standard+My+Gig+2
It clearly states on the link above “Get a Mofaya Vodafone K3770 USB Modem FREE at R149 per month when signing a 12 month contract on Standard My Gig 2 PLUS receive 2GB Night Owl Data to use between midnight and 5am.”
Notice it says “12 month contract”… yet again it looks like no-one seems to know what’s actually happening with this package. We have already had people in the comments above saying they signed up and it’s a 24 month contract that you can cancel after 12 months, I’ve had friends who have said the same and I’ve also had friends that have just had a 12 month contract given to them. Now Vodacom’s website states 12 month contract… Wouldn’t it be lovely if they just made up their minds and stuck to one thing rather than constantly changing information and not even maintaining the correct information on different pages on their own sites???
Hello Jay,I see 8ta has unveiled their latest broadband deal where they offer 2Gig + 1Gig of data for R149 on prepaid.Can I use their(8ta)sim card on my vodafone modem or i need to purchase their modem?Plus is it possible to attain download speeds of 21Mb,since this is what one of their modems say?I checked I have their network coverage where I live.I also know that out of bundle its charged at R1/Mb.This deal sounds exciting to me,but what is the catch?Do u have any extra info that u might have found out?Enlighten us man.
Hi LeeRoy,
Thanks for the comment and letting me know about the new deal from 8ta, I had not seen it until now but I suppose that’s what happens when you go on leave for 10 days
Right, let me try answer your questions.
1/ Yes you can use a 8ta sim card in another modem, the only thing you need to check is that your modem has not been locked by your provider. I think it’s pretty safe to say that 99% of modems in S.A are NOT locked, but if you got your modem from overseas there is a good chance it will be. You would then have to unlock this would could cost you a couple bucks.
2/ Is 21Mb/s possible? Good question… According the coverage map on 8ta’s website, they only mention “3G” which falls under the category of HSDPA which by definition is capable of running at a maximum of 14Mb/s. Further dissection says that 3G can only run at 3.6Mb/s, 3.5G runs at 7.2Mb/s and 3G Turbo runs at 14Mb/s/ It’s only when you use HSDPA+ that speeds of 21 and 42Mb/s are possible.
8ta might just be using the word “3G” as a general thing and not to be taken literally but their website really doesn’t reveal very much on this. I’m not sure if 8ta has started rolling out 21Mb/s speed yet. Assuming they have then the answer you question is, the 21Mb/s is possible all depending on the coverage that you are in and what the tower is currently configured for. Even with Cell C I don’t get 21Mb/s everywhere. There are only a few places that I ever get more than about 6Mb/s. At my house, for example, I’m lucky if I get more than 5Mb/s but Midrand seems to be a sweet spot for Cell C and I often get 15 – 16Mb/s there. It really depends on the tower, the distance from the tower and how many people are currently on it at the same time.
3/ What’s the catch…. the catch is that the data bundle is only valid for 2 months. (Mentioned under the FAQ’s here http://www.8ta.co.za/plans/2gbpromo/ )
Hope this helps?
P.S – Of course your modem has to support 21Mb/s as well to stand a chance of getting that speed.
Touchdown! That’s a rellay cool way of putting it!
I am awful at anything to do with computers or internets and am by no means a fundy in this regard….but… my husband bought me a CELL C 60G woosh stick for christmas last year for R2999 once off!! It gives me 5GB per month (I am a housewife and practically live on skype and facebook,,, I also do all my shopping online) I have never ran short and I am quite happy with the speed despite the fact that my area does not have great coverage with any network!…. I am looking for the same stick again this year for christmas