Telkom Mobile has launched its latest prepaid tariff plan dubbed - SIM-SONKE - at a function held at the Telkom Mobile Building in Centurion earlier today. With this new plan the company is pointing its price scope squarely at the competition, by offering the lowest standard mobile call rates in South Africa.

SIM-SONKE is a per second prepaid tariff plan available on the Telkom Mobile Network, and sees customers paying 29 cents per minute on per second billing for calls to any Telkom Mobile SIM number. Calls to any other South African mobile network as well as any national land line number (both Telkom and Neotel) are charged at 75 cents per minute.

Beyond the low call rates, SIM-SONKE will also benefit from free unlimited calls to other SIM-SONKE subscribers between 21:00 and 06:00, if they recharge with R5 or more during the course of the day.

The unlimited free evening calls promotion for SIM-SONKE to SIM-SONKE numbers works as follows:

• Customers who recharge with R5 get free evening calls to other SIM-SONKE numbers, valid from 21:00 until 06:00 the following day.
• Clients who recharge with R20 get free evening calls to other SIM-SONKE numbers, which will be valid for 7 days from 21:00 on the date of recharge to 06:00 eight days from then.
• If a recharge is done before 21:00, the benefit kicks in on the very same day at 21:00.
• However, if a recharge is done after 21:00 and before midnight, the customer will get the benefit immediately.
• Calls to other Telkom Mobile and Telkom fixed line destinations, as well as all other national and international destinations that fall outside of the promotional time periods will be charged at normal rates.
• Customers will get an announcement at the beginning of promotional free calls.

How do you get a SIM-SONKE package?

Users can purchase a SIM-SONKE starter pack for 99c from their nearest Telkom stores as well as participating Shoprite Checkers stores. This starter pack contains two SIM cards enabling the buyer to keep one and give the other to a person that they call the most. Both SIM cards must be RICA’d before they will be activated. Subscribers will be able to use both Telkom Mobile and 8ta branded airtime recharge vouchers to reload airtime on SIM-SONKE.

Telkom stated that SIM-SONKE services are limited to the areas covered by the Telkom Mobile network, and there will be no national and international roaming on SIM-SONKE. Subscribers can check coverage by sending their address via SMS to 43482. No services (calls, SMS, MMS and data, voicemail) will be available out of the Telkom Mobile covered areas.

Attila Vitai, Telkom Mobile MD said: “As the mobile division on the country’s oldest and largest telecommunications company, we believe we have a responsibility to drive the affordable telephony agenda. By introducing the SIM-SONKE prepaid product we are able to offer a dramatically low call rate and leave the South African consumer with a little extra [money] in their pocket.”

Vitai added that Telkom Mobile is excited about this offering and believes that it will make a difference in cash-strapped consumers’ lives.

In other operator related news, MTN Business recently announced that the deadline for submissions for the 2013 MTN Business App of the Year Awards has been extended to next Monday, 15 July 2013.