South Africa’s banking giant, Standard Bank, has announced a significant move in its mobile network operations. The bank is transitioning its Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) services to MTN, one of the leading telecommunications providers in the country.
In conjunction with this shift, Standard Bank is rebranding its MVNO to “Standard Bank Connect,” aiming to enhance its mobile service offerings and provide customers with improved connectivity and benefits.
Previously, Standard Bank had partnered with Cell C for its MVNO services.
“We are excited to collaborate with MTN and the opportunity to provide our customers with a range of newly differentiated mobile plans. The transition will be gradual, where we invite our customers to join us on our pilot program, helping us to build meaningful services together and experiencing Standard Bank on MTN’s wide network,” Kartik Mistry, Head of Standard Bank Connect, said.
Standard Bank introduced its MVNO offering in 2018 and has over 300,000 mobile customers, who have derived immense value from the offering, with bank fees offered back in Airtime based on the products and services customers have with the bank.
“Consistently voted SA’s Best Network, MTN is delighted to partner with Standard Bank, a trusted brand in South Africa and across the African continent. Our aim is to create shared value by placing our partners at the centre of all we do whilst for fulfilling our vision that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life. To this end we are committed to providing a proven, quality digital network and affordable mobile and network solutions,” Quintus de Beer, Chief Wholesale Officer, from MTN South Africa said.
To build on its play to connect communities, Standard Bank offers two main types of connectivity packages: the Connected Circle and the Connected Gigs Plans. The Connected Circle Plans cater to customers seeking both voice and data connectivity with options like Connected Circle Starter, Lite, Plus and Pro. These plans provide access to unlimited calls to selected numbers within one’s community and include inclusive data, promoting flexibility and changing the way we connect.
For data-centric customers, the Connected Gigs Plans offer high-value data bundles at competitive prices. Customers can also purchase airtime bundles for voice and SMS usage on these plans.
In another first, to offer customers more value, qualifying Connected Circle and Connected Gigs plans also include monthly discounts on tech accessories of up-to 50% with Standard Bank’s partnership with Dress Your Tech.
Other features include:
- Month-to-month flexibility: All plans are monthly; however, customers can choose to commit to their plan for 3, 6 or 12 months for added incentives.
- Auto top-up: Ensures continuous data access only when needed, with no expiration on topped-up data.
- R1 Promotion: For a limited time, customers can take up any plan for R1 and enjoy the full inclusive value of their plans till the first billing date. Plans can only be ordered online at this stage but will be available in selected branches in the near future.
“Standard Bank Connect represents a significant step forward in our commitment to providing our customers with end-to-end connectivity solutions that are tailored to offer more simplicity, more value and greater flexibility,” Mistry said.
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