Uncapped data package for Lumias in South Africa

It is quite a well known fact that smartphones tend to use a lot of data, and this is particularly true with Windows Phones which are very well connected to the world around you. In fact, Microsoft even urges users to get an unlimited/uncapped data package for their phones. That's not a problem in the U.S. as many providers have competitive packages offering just that.

For those living in South Africa however, mobile internet (and fixed line for that matter) is a bit of a sore spot. It is not uncommon practice to charge R2 ($0.25) per MB when not buying a large bundle, and many users get hit with massive bills after the first month of using their new smartphone. This is worsened by service providers who bundle tiny amounts of data with contracts giving people the impression that it will be enough.

Now Nashua Mobile has stepped in and is offering "uncapped" mobile data to Nokia devices, particularly the Lumia series of Windows Phones.

What is Xtreme Data Premium?

Xtreme Data Premium is a Nashua Mobile data service that provides uncapped data at a fixed cost.

Use Xtreme Data Premium for:

• Email
• Internet browsing
• Apps and Game downloads
• Social Networking on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube
• Endless chats on WhatsApp

All at only R139 incl. VAT per Month

At R139 per month, this Premium Xtreme Data service will cater for the more demanding user with up to 400MB of high-speed data before the Average Use Policy (AUP) kicks in and the data service is throttled or shaped. This compares to the 100 MB users on the standard Xtreme Data package may use before the AUP takes effect. Consumers will also be happy to know Youtube is not blocked on the Xtreme Data Premium service.

So if you have a Nokia Lumia device in South Africa you can get this for just R139 ($17). But before you get too excited, read the fine print. "Uncapped" to Nashua Mobile is 400MB of data. After that you will be shaped/throttled until the end of the month - we can't find any detail on what your speed will be limited to. Taking into account that before being shaped, the max speed of the service is 512Kbps, we can imagine how slow it will be.

To put this 400MB at 512Kbps limit into perspective, during a month you can finish your entire unshaped allowance by downloading Sid Meier's Pirates! just twice - and it would take 2 hours.

It really is hard to recommend this deal with competitors like Cell C offering out of bundle data at R0.15 per MB, and 8ta offering fantastic data bundles.

Source: nokia.sa Blog