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SPTC’S CANNED CHEAP GADGETS WERE MARKETING PLOY - MINISTER

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MBABANE – SPTC’s discontinued but very affordable mobile communication products and services were a marketing ploy.


This, after Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Dumisani Ndlangamandla shared with Parliament a week ago that the products, the likes of fixedfones and their cheap rates, would not have remained cheap for long.
He said the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation’s (SPTC) mobile communication venture was in a marketing phase in order to drum a lot of public interest.


Rates


He was adamant that the cheap rates which the organisation offered, such as call rates and internet, would have definitely been hiked eventually.
“Their prices could not have stayed at the same level as when the products were introduced. The marketing phase was supposed to last for three months, but it got extended.


“SPTC would have had a meeting and revised the prices,” stated the minister during a debate of the ministry’s 2014/15 first quarter performance report.
Ndlangamandla wondered though, if there was a country in which its main telecommunications company only charged E100 for services for a whole month.


He briefly mentioned that SPTC was not in a good position where cash flow was concerned.
Meanwhile, he appealed for calm and patience from those who bought the products, such as fixedfones, as both MTN Swaziland and SPTC had rekindled their good relations.


Members of Parliament put it to the minister that people were tired of ‘white elephants’ in their homes and wanted answers.


Relations


The minister said a lot of good would come out if relations between the communication giants continued to warm. 
SPTC was forced to abandon its mobile communication venture because it had breached the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with Swazi MTN in which it was not supposed to compete with the latter.




Comments (2 posted):

curiOus-t on 19/08/2014 14:03:36
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Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason. Even if it was a marketing ploy, that wasn't a problem. Marketing their products to their people and this would have encourage competition from the other telecommunication giant to offer cheaper call rates. Because you are a Minister you say that since you serve the interest of the government than that of the poor Swazis.
lwazi mendy aide on 19/08/2014 16:21:16
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If SPTC shouldn't compete with MTN,let other network providers compete with her,personally I do believe Vodacom would like setting up business in Swaziland.Whoever is in charge of that,can he/she make that possible,cause sodzelela kakhulu loMTN,wenta matsandza because she is the sole provider.

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