I have been with MTN since cell phones arrived in SA and I’ve never had any serious issues with them. I believe that there aren’t any major differences between Vodacom and MTN. What one does, the other does soon after.

The only major difference has been their data strategy. Vodacom rolled out 3G while MTN concentrated on their EDGE coverage before starting on 3G. I imagine that soon MTN’s 3G coverage will match Vodacom’s and it will probably be quicker because there are much less data users on MTN.

However, yesterday I learnt something which I think gives Vodacom the competitive edge. You already know that contract bundled minutes which are not used in the month they are allocated roll over to the next month. But did you know that Vodacom rolls them over for 5 months while MTN only rolls them over for 1 month.

So, with MTN, if you don’t use your minutes by the following month you lose them. I know that my usage varies over the year. Some times I use my minutes and more, other times I don’t use all my minutes. I like to know that the unused minutes are rolling over so that I can use them in the busier months.

MTN, you’re starting to slip. When this contract is over, it might be time for me to port, along with the more than 50 company lines I administer.