You’re not alone. It’s a topic of discussion around many a braai fire in South Africa. People top up their airtime and data only to find out that it has somehow vanished within a day or two. It’s already apparent that airtime and data are pricey in South Africa when compared to the rest of the world.

South Africa has embraced the smartphone wholeheartedly. A lack of fixed line infrastructure in townships and rural areas makes internet connectivity by any other means impossible. Having a smartphone allows South Africans to access services such as banking, social media, news and information.

Ever wondered if you are with the top mobile network? Or who takes the title for being South Africa’s best mobile network? Well, now we officially know! My Broadband did a survey int eh final quarter of 2018 and the results are in and they are rather interesting results indeed.

It is extremely interesting to look at what smartphone apps South Africans are using on a regular basis and which apps they find useful on the daily. Looking at a snapshot of the top applications, it is clear that we prioritise communication and connection, with these apps making up 40% of apps that we make use of daily.

No matter where you are in the world, the price of smartphones seems to be skyrocketing. This is especially true in South Africa where the value of the rand to the American dollar keeps falling. Despite the exchange rate plummeting, the price of smartphones has steadily increased to the world over.

With so many options out there at the moment, finding the right phone deal for you can be a stressful exercise. Like which network do you pick, do you go for an Android or an Apple device, do you choose a contract deal or a pay as you go? The options are almost endless!

If you’re buying a cell phone, make sure you get the best value for money. Outright cell phone purchases are quite rare given how expensive they are. Most people buy a new cell phone when they sign a contract or upgrade their existing contract.

With Huawei, Apple and Samsung dominating the mobile world, it sometimes feels futile to keep up with the latest tech. Apart from a new model popping out every other month, your wallet can’t keep up with the pace either. However, you are in luck. The South African market caters for smartphone user.

The mobile world is turning on its head, and the once dominating Apple and Samsung have gotten some stiff competition in the forms of Huawei and Xiaomi. However, there are a couple of new players on the block, and all of them have a claim to stake.

Signing a cell phone contract is a big commitment. Service providers offer 24month contracts with a variety of phones and packages. Sometimes, it can be a difficult decision to make. It’s a decision best not made in haste. Trying to get out of a contract is an expensive affair.

Good news for mobile data users. One of the positive changes to come out of the recent pressure placed on ICASA and the government is the carryover of unused data. Until recently, consumers would lose any unused data at month end.

When you sign a two year cell phone contract the cost of the phone is heavily subsidised. The more expensive the contract, the higher the subsidy. As a result, people often do not appreciate the true value of their phone until something happens and they need to replace it.

The evolution of the smartphone has been incredible. They have become faster, more powerful and much more useful. We depend on them for a wide range of tasks and functions and many of these work through apps. As data has become faster the apps have become more powerful and more useful.

Trying to find the best camera phone these days is difficult at best. There are so many smartphone brands on the market, sorting the wheat from the chaff can be quite daunting. Selecting a smartphone is very much about personal taste and what functionality you desire from your smart camera phone.

It is no secret that mobile data costs in South Africa have always been high. Consumers have been complaining for some time and this recently came to a head in 2017 with the DataMustFall movement. Finally, parliament listened and started to put pressure on governing body ICASA to implement changes.

For many people, international dialing is a bit confusing and sometimes frightening. Most often, the person you are trying to contact will give you their international number which you can simply dial without having to think about it.

Avoid nasty surprises when travelling with your cell phone. You may have read in the media or overheard people at social events talking about going overseas for a holiday or a business trip only to return to find their cell phone bills running into thousands of Rands, much to their shock and disbelief. Taking and using your cell phone overseas, commonly called international roaming, is one of the fastest ways to rack up an extremely high cell phone bill.

The best and worst mobile phone is always a contentious topic of conversation and there will almost certainly be those who will disagree with any best and worst lists. This article will be no different.

This is a question which has been asked for years and despite many years of intense research, there is, unfortunately, no definitive answer on the subject. There have been some studies released, one study on rats and mice. The reports seem to indicate that any inherent risk is a small.

The majority of cell phone contracts are 24 months although there are shorter options and 36 months contracts. The shorter the contract period, the more you will pay for your handset or whatever hardware you take with the contract.

Getting out of a cell phone contract used to be extremely difficult. Most of the time you had no choice but to ride out the full term of the cell phone contract, in many cases, these were 24 months. Thereafter you were obliged to give notice of your intention to cancel the agreement.

We all know how to get a cell phone contract, but none of us know what are rights are… The consumer protection act (CPA) has been in force for many years now but there is still a lot of ignorance on the side of the consumer as well as certain businesses. Some businesses are perhaps not ignorant but chose to ignore the rules of the CPA. The CPA was designed to give consumers reasonable, honest and fair treatment in their business dealings.

Confused when it comes to cell phone contracts? You are not alone... Sit down, get comfortable, we are going to be here for a while. Let me explain how cell phone contracts work.

It’s a conversation we have all had at some time or another. Which is better, a contract with a cell phone service provider, or going the prepaid route. Well, as with everything today, there are the pros and the cons associated with whichever way you wish to go.

The cellphone market has seen many changes since it was launched in South Africa late 1994. At that time, there were only really two types of contracts and you were still required to pay a substantial amount upfront for a phone.

Cell phone service providers and networks do not have an easy job keeping customers happy. Local consumer complaints sites and social media platforms are overflowing with unhappy reports from dissatisfied customers. All companies get their fair share.

Cell C has been responsible for a number of innovative new offers and packages which has had some influence on the market in terms of competition. While any increase in competition is good for the consumer, these constant changes often add to the confusion created by multiple contracts with a multitude of permutations. The average cell phone user has a hard time understanding and comparing options and an informed and patient consultant is normally required to advise and explain.

MTN offers a wide range of packages to cater to all sectors of the market. No matter what type of user you are, you will find something to suit your needs.

Vodacom offer a range of open ended contracts with inclusive voice, data and sms as well as top up contracts for those that want more control over their account. Look at your historical usage to determine which package will suit your needs best.

Telkom Mobile, as a late entrant to the market, was able to leapfrog technology as well as thinking. As a result, their offerings are highly data-centric. There are a number of platforms on which people can make voice over data calls and as applications such as Viber, Skype and WhatsApp become more popular, voice calling as we currently know it becomes less relevant.

I see we’ve got a new kid on the block in South Africa, yes you heard me, and the all new Blackberry Z10 smartphone is soon to land on South African soil. It has the name BlackBerry on it but it runs on a totally different operating system than we are all used to. The company even changed their name from Research in Motion to just BlackBerry after their long awaited rest in the last year.

In this article I will attempt to compare the three most exciting new smart phones which are currently available on the South African market for consumers. The phones which I will be comparing are the Apple iPhone 5, RIM Blackberry Bold 9930 and the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Cell phones have become very much part of our life styles. We cannot go without them. We are now able to communicate to family members, friends, people from work and we can use them in case of emergencies. It is of utmost importance that you know that there is a time and place for everything.

We all know that we cannot go without our cell phones nowadays. It has become part of our modern society. There is one question though that scientists are still trying to figure out, and that is; can a cell phone give you brain cancer.

In the modern world that we live in today, is it clear that cell phones has become one of the most popular necessities in our lives. Consumers want their phones to do every possible available function, may it be calling, texting, mailing, internet browsing or taking pictures.

We are all aware of all the different service providers in South Africa. We also know that they offer very good deals on the latest cell phones, but our monthly phone bills are not what we always expect. There are thus ways to reduce your phone bills by hundreds of rands.

With mobile telecommunications imbedded in the workplace in modern society, is it important that you know what impact it has on our businesses in South Africa. It is clear that cell phones have made work more productive and sufficient. In this article will I explain how cell phones are having a positive influence on our businesses of today.

We have seen over the past few years that cell phones are not a luxury anymore for kids, but indeed a necessity. Nowadays is it good to know that you can get hold of your kids when they are not around, and they can let you know if they run into some trouble.

As we all know, cell phones has become very much part of our modern lives. In this article will I explain how one can add some character to your phone by adding some accessories. The most popular accessories for your cell phone include; skins, cases and charms.

Cell phones have become a very important item in our modern society. We are normally forced to take the everywhere that we go. All of us have probably seen someone jumping into a pool with their cell phone still in their pockets.

It is clear that more and more people are struggling with debt problems due to the tough economic climate of today. A large portion of South Africans are struggling to make ends meet. In this article I will explain how one can obtain a mobile phone contract whilst blacklisted.

It is clear that cell phones are not seen as a luxury anymore but a necessity. People from all income brackets are using them nowadays. They are being used in various business and public services like security companies and the police services of South Africa.

"Can I cancel my cell phone contract?” is as well known question for South African consumers. Maybe you don’t need the contract anymore or you can simply not afford it anymore. With a bit of research we have come to the conclusion that you can in fact cancel the contract.

South Africa offers a wide variety of financial aid products to help the consumer for when he is need of some sort of financial aid. We have seen that the need for money is growing as well as the need for communication as it is becoming a necessity in the modern world of today.

The South African consumer has various deals to choose from, but cell phone contracts are the most popular due to the fact that a mobile phone is not seen as a luxury anymore but a necessity.

In today’s world there are a lot of different types of cell phones. To make a decision can be very complicated due to the amount of different types of mobile hand sets. In this article I will briefly explain the different types of phones and give some advice on choosing the right phone.

You have probably noticed the dramatic change in technology in the past few years. It is amazing to see that technology has provided us with a communication platform that we can’t live with out today, it’s the cell phone. If you like it or not, mobile phones has become part of our lives and we can’t ignore the fact that it is a very essential item to have nowadays.

By comparing cell phone deals is a great way to ensure that you get the desired cell phone and the best suitable package to suite your personal needs. Cell phone deals will always advertise the latest cell phone models at a very low price or even for free, with a lot of extra benefits like free sms'

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to have more than one contract from different cell phone network providers. Well in most cases the answer is yes. That is if the cell phone isn’t locked by a specific cell phone network provider.

Have you ever wondered where you will be able to find the best cell phone deal on the market? The cell phone market is very competitive nowadays in South Africa, so there are literally hundreds of different deals to choose from. In this article I will briefly explain to you where to start looking an

One day, you are heading out of the house and you realize that you forgot to make an important call. You are a good distance from home, and you can't go back. You don't have a cell phone or just have a bad one.

In modern times where technology has become an integrated part of life, having a cell phone is a necessity, as there are various situations and emergencies that can come up where you need to be able to get in touch with someone, and this normally requires a cell phone. Even for normal day to day conversations to our loved ones and friends, it has become a must have that many people just can’t live without. But if you are blacklisted in South Africa, then you’re going to have a hard time getting a cell phone the normal route.

When you get a product, you always want to make sure that you get a good deal, and that it is worth what you paid for it, and when it comes to cell phones it's no different. While your first instinct may to be go to your local phone carrier store in South Africa, you need to take a minute and consid

So you're looking at certain cell phones made by cell phone companies in South Africa, and there may be some phones that jump out at you and make you want to go out and sign a contract. While getting a cell phone from a certain company may seem like a total deal, make sure that you are reading all o

When you are looking to purchase a new cell phone, you are going to want to get the most out of a cell phone for the best price, and this requires that you do a little comparison shopping in order to get the rate that you are looking for. In South Africa, the major players in the cell phone market a

Having everything on the go is the basic idea of how people live these days. Whether it is getting from one place to another or having something along with them, it is quite the common sight for South Africans today. That is why it is a common thing for everyone to have cell phones in this modern da

In this modern day and age in South Africa, it is hard for anyone to get anywhere without things on the go. That is why there is the cellphone, so you can make phone calls while on the go, and of course text and use the internet. If you do not have a cellphone, getting one is pretty simple. However,

Unless you have been living under a rock the past century, you have noticed the dramatic change in South African society when it comes to technology. Everything is wireless and on the go, which brings me to the cellphone. If you have one of these, you understand how it is to be on the go and not have to worry about missing any calls.

If you have recently fallen under hard financial times, and you've been unable to pay any of your debts or loans, then it is likely that you have been blacklisted. Being blacklisted is definitely hard for those experiencing it, as you have no access to lines of credit, as well as being ineligible to

Everyone goes through periods in their life where they hit financial hardship, and these times can lead to credit issues and poor credit scores – even a lack of payment on your debts or loans. In South Africa, this can lead to getting you blacklisted, which essentially takes away your ability to get a loan, open a line of credit, or even get a cell phone contract, which requires a credit check and credit card for payments. Chances are that you didn’t mean to have these financial troubles or to become blacklisted, but now that it is a reality, the repercussions can severely cripple your ability to get back on your feet by making it impossible to even have a basic luxury like a cell phone.