South Africans are spending considerably more money on mobile data. The surge in mobile data spending can be attributed to the fact that the majority of the South African workforce is working from home for the duration of the lockdown. Plus, social distancing means that everyone is staying home much more and streaming a lot.
South Africa is notorious for having high data prices that can be detrimental to a developing country. If you buy data bundles in bulk amounts such as 60GB or 80GB; it is cheaper, but this module alienates the poor and favours the privileged. So we’re doing a side by side comparison of which network offers the most inexpensive mobile data bundles.
We compare the four major networks in Africa, namely; Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Telkom. We also included Rain because of the increased popularity of the mobile network:
Data prices per gig:
| Network | Anytime Data | Midnight Data | Price |
| Vodacom | 1GB | 0GB | R99 |
| Cell C | 1GB | 2GB | R100 |
| MTN | 1GB | 0BG | R149 |
| Telkom | 1GB | 1GB | R100 |
| Rain | 1GB | 0GB | R50 |
Bulk data prices:
| Network | Anytime Data | Price |
| Vodacom | 20GB | R1 010 |
| Cell C | 20GB | R799 |
| MTN | 20GB | R899 |
| Telkom | 50GB | R905 |
| Rain | Unlimited | R479 |
Rain seems to be leading the pack with the lowest mobile data prices. But selecting your preferred network doesn’t stop at cost, consider the network coverage in your area.
