After a successful 2023 pilot in Alexandra, Vuma, a Maziv company, has officially launched Vuma Key – South Africa’s most affordable uncapped fibre service at just R99 per month.
Vuma Key is a prepaid service with no penalties for missed recharges, tailored for households earning under R5,000 per month.
For R99 a month (equivalent to R3.30 per day or less than 83c per device for a 4-device household), Vuma Key is 34% cheaper than its closest competitors. While some advertise a R99 price point, those are for 7-day recharges; Vuma Key offers uninterrupted service for 30 days.
Initially piloted in Alexandra and Kayamandi, Vuma Key reflects the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide by providing fibre connectivity to underserved, high-density communities.
“Vuma Key has been designed specifically for communities that have traditionally been beyond the reach of high-speed, high-volume uncapped internet,” says Dietlof Mare, CEO of Maziv, Vuma’s parent company.
Vuma Key is now available in Alexandra Wards 75, 76, 107, 108, and 116, as well as in all wards of Kayamandi.
The (fibre) details
Unlike other affordable fibre products on the market, Vuma Key is not pay-per-day, capped, shaped, or throttled – giving all users in a household unlimited access to fast connectivity in abundance.
The entry level product offers a download speed of 10Mbps, an upload speed of 5Mbps, and supports up to four simultaneous devices – making it a budget friendly solution for households seeking fast and reliable internet.
This makes Vuma Key not only more affordable but also more convenient for households, providing uninterrupted connectivity without the hassle of managing multiple recharge transactions.
“While Vuma Key is not a pay-per-day service, its straightforward monthly prepaid payment makes it a more convenient and cost-effective solution. Users enjoy unlimited access without the need for daily admin, with just a single recharge required monthly,” says Ewald van der Westhuizen, Chief Commercial Officer for Vuma.
The Key difference
“Vuma Key is different to other affordable fibre products in the market. Our product allows multiple devices to be connected by a single product, where the closest competing offer only enables a single device,” says Van der Westhuizen.
“Vuma Reach’s market is 4.8 million households, whereas Vuma Key’s target market includes 10 million homes and informal dwellings.”
Installation is free, and customers can pay through recurring debit orders or recharge monthly with a single EasyPay reference number from many easily accessible stores like Boxer, Pick ‘n Pay, PEP, Ackermans and many others. Customers can also use convenient pay services like Kazang, which is available at many spaza shops. Capitec customers will be able to conveniently recharge via the Capitec mobile app. This flexible model makes the service accessible in communities with limited access to banking facilities.
Vuma Key customers must recharge within 90 days of their last recharge to avoid termination. After this period, they will need to re-activate their service, however, no penalties or reconnection fees will be levied.
In addition, Vuma’s Fibre to Schools programme will provide free 1Gbps fibre lines to qualifying primary and secondary schools along the Vuma Key deployment route – ensuring fast, reliable internet for every classroom.
Vuma also offers fibre plans with download speeds of 20Mbps, 40Mbps, and 100Mbps, supporting up to 10 concurrent devices. These products provide highly competitive rates compared to other options in these areas, from as little as R1.33 per device per day (based on 10 devices and 30 days of internet access).
