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Johannesburg - South African mobile network MTN has responded to complaints of disappearing data on its network by launching a 12-month expiry promotion.
Earlier this year, customers took to social media and websites such as HelloPeter.com to complain of buying data that goes unused but then disappears shortly thereafter.
Fin24 also received hundreds of emails from disgruntled customers who hit out at MTN in particular.
READ: Fin24 users fume over expired mobile data
At the time, MTN responded by saying that customers’ smartphone settings - such as LTE features - could be sapping data unknowingly. In turn MTN customers responded in anger.
READ: MTN 'decodes' mystery of depleting data and MTN sticks to its guns on data depletion.
But on Wednesday, MTN claimed to launch a market-first in South Africa - a data bundle promotion dubbed ‘Data4Keeps’ that is valid for 12 months.
The company said that the promotion, which is only available to the first 100 000 customers, carries a 365 day expiry.
MTN further said the promotion means that customers “no longer have to worry about losing unused data bundles”.
“MTN understands the users’ frustration of having to lose unused data despite the fact that data validity period is a universally applied practice,” said Larry Annetts, sales and marketing executive for MTN South Africa, in a statement.
“Our customers use data as a primary source of staying connected to the internet and surfing the internet, and what better way to provide them with a distinct customer experience than by introducing data bundles that consumers can keep for as long as it is available,” said Annetts.
MTN explained that its repaid customers can move to the Data4Keeps price plan by dialling *141*4*7#.
Meanwhile, MTN contract customers can open a Data4Keeps 500MB price plan, which costs R69 per month over 24 months, by visiting the mobile networks’ stores.
