{"id":5036,"date":"2025-06-06T10:11:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T08:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hconline.co.za\/?p=5036"},"modified":"2025-07-22T20:38:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T20:38:29","slug":"mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/","title":{"rendered":"MTN offers Smartphones at R99"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>SOUTH AFRICA<\/strong><strong> \u2013<\/strong> Telecommunications giant MTN is set to roll out smartphones to more than a million South Africans at a remarkably low price of just R99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The campaign forms part of MTN\u2019s drive to promote digital inclusion and ensure that no one is left behind as the country prepares to switch off its 2G and 3G networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africa is working towards a December 31, 2027 deadline to phase out 2G and 3G in favour of 4G and 5G connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MTN\u2019s goal is to provide over 1.2 million prepaid customers with affordable 4G smartphones, starting from R99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to <em><strong>Highveld Chronicle<\/strong><\/em> at the Hollywood Foundation Bambelela Business Awards on May 28, 2025, Dr Nkosi Khumalo, General Manager for the Small and Medium Business Segment at MTN South Africa, said the company feels a deep responsibility to connect people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He explained that around 20% of South Africans still do not own smartphones. Through the R99 device initiative, MTN is encouraging those without smartphones to visit their stores and seize this life-changing opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur aim is to distribute about 500,000 devices by the end of the third quarter of this year. This campaign is part of MTN\u2019s broader effort to drive digital inclusion and make sure no one is left behind as government phases out older networks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese individuals deserve reliable internet access and strong connectivity. They currently face digital exclusion, and we are committed to fostering inclusivity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, Dr Khumalo cautioned that the deal is not open to everyone. \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that this initiative targets specific individuals in our network who are currently not using smartphones,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe\u2019re sending SMS invitations to these customers, encouraging them to visit our stores where, for R99, they can receive an upgraded smartphone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He added that MTN is working with a partner organisation, <em>Smartphones4All<\/em>, which is supplying a significant number of devices to help close the digital divide and bring nearly 1.2 million South Africans online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The campaign is being rolled out nationally across several provinces. \u201cThe majority of those without smartphones are in underserved communities,\u201d Dr Khumalo said. \u201cMTN is rapidly expanding its 5G network, and we\u2019re committed to ensuring these communities can enjoy the full benefits of a modern, connected lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no way we can achieve our mission if people don\u2019t have smartphones that are compatible with the network we\u2019re building.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SOUTH AFRICA \u2013 Telecommunications giant MTN is set to roll out smartphones to more than a million South Africans at a remarkably low price of just R99. The campaign forms part of MTN\u2019s drive to promote digital inclusion and ensure that no one is left behind as the country prepares to switch off its 2G&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":5474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","category-tie-news-style"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>MTN offers Smartphones at R99 - Highveld Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"MTN offers Smartphones at R99 - Highveld Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SOUTH AFRICA \u2013 Telecommunications giant MTN is set to roll out smartphones to more than a million South Africans at a remarkably low price of just R99. The campaign forms part of MTN\u2019s drive to promote digital inclusion and ensure that no one is left behind as the country prepares to switch off its 2G...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Highveld Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-06T08:11:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-22T20:38:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MTN-offers.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lucas Shongwe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lucas Shongwe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lucas Shongwe\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/#\/schema\/person\/9896458f26e0229011c0cfedf0ec52e9\"},\"headline\":\"MTN offers Smartphones at R99\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-06T08:11:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-22T20:38:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\"},\"wordCount\":401,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MTN-offers.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"National\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dev.highveldchronicle.co.za\/wp64\/mtn-offers-smartphones-at-r99\/\",\"name\":\"MTN offers Smartphones at R99 - 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