Telkom’s landline customers will be able to align their calling plans to its popular SmartVoice offering. The SmartVoice packages, which are fibre or “fixed wireless landline look-alike” products that usually include additional features such as mobile data, minutes, and free on-net calls.
The company said it has not only introduced new closer calling plans for customers wishing to get more value for their money, but it has also reduced the prices of some of these plans.
The new Closer Calling plans are available to new and existing customers and can be provisioned on Copper, Fibre and as a bolt-on to IPVoice (Internet Protocol Voice); replacing the stand-alone fixed-line as well as the old Closer Calling plans known as Weekend and Evening, Anytime, Anytime Extra, Anytime Plus and Unlimited Fixed Line.
The New Telkom Closer Calling Plans
Closer Basic @ R199
Closer 100 @ R299
Closer 300 @ R399
Closer Unlimited @ R599
Closer Basic Bolt-on @ R40
Closer 100 Bolt-on @ R70
Closer 300 Bolt-on @ R130
Closer Unlimited Bolt-on @ R220
Telkom said customers will be happy to know that the company has done away with the stand-alone voice line with no inclusive value and the time limitation of Evening and Weekend minutes, so our customers can now make calls at any time.
Also, worth noting is that all the new Closer Calling plans now include 3000 minutes that can be used to call more than 13 million Telkom numbers free of charge, said the company.
“Depending on which plan a customer subscribes to, off-net minutes are also included to call other local networks.”
Telkom added that migration of existing customers from their old Closer Calling plans to more suitable new plans resumed on 1 March 2021 at no cost to them.
Meanwhile, stand-alone voice-only Copper customers will be migrated to one of the new Closer Calling plans with the benefit of never having to pay for calls to Telkom Fixed or Telkom Mobile numbers again, the company said.
elkom is transitioning its customers from copper-based internet to new-generation fibre technology in all fibre-ready regions across South Africa.
The telecommunications provider is currently hard at work upgrading its customers from copper ADSL internet to fibre-based internet.
This migration applies to all customers residing in fibre-ready regions around the country where the current DSL infrastructure overlaps with the FTTH footprint.
Telkom notes that fibre promises a significant improvement in users’ connectivity experience and assures customers that they will receive the support that they need to undergo the upgrade with minimal stress and disruption.
“With technology advancing so rapidly, we want to help keep our customers up to date and ensure that they are making the most of what’s available,” says Steven White, Executive: Product Development & Management at Telkom.
The reality is that fibre-based internet promises users several benefits over its copper alternative. First and foremost, customers will enjoy faster internet upload and download speeds, a more stable internet connection, and reduced downtime. The latter advantage is due to the fact that fibre infrastructure is not at risk of cable theft, a problem that has plagued DSL users for a very long time.
“There has always been a high demand for fast, reliable internet. In current times, and in relation to the COVID pandemic with so many people working from home and just spending more time at home in general, this demand is higher than ever before,” says White.
Internet sign. Photo by Leon Seibert on Unsplash
Telkom agents are contacting customers directly to inform them regarding what to expect from the upgrade, and when. All representatives insist that there is no need to panic about a sudden ‘cut-off’.
“Customers can rest assured that Telkom won’t leave them in the lurch. While the move away from copper-based internet is compulsory, we are here to work with customers to find an alternative connectivity solution that best suits their needs. If they aren’t on board with fibre, there are many other options available to choose from, such as wireless LTE and Fixed Line Lookalike (FLLA),” says White.
