MTN South Africa has announced it will increase consumer contract prices starting February 1, 2026, with an average hike of 5.4% across monthly bills.
The adjustments will primarily impact subscription and voice charges, with subscription fees rising by an average of 9.7% and voice rates increasing by around 8%.
The company explained that the price changes are necessary to sustain investments in network capacity, protect infrastructure, and continue delivering high-performance connectivity amid growing demand for data, as seen on TechCabal.
MTN noted that rising operational costs, even as general inflation has eased, are a key factor behind the adjustments. “Although general consumer inflation has eased, MTN and the telecommunications sector in South Africa continue to face steeper increases in operational costs, including electricity and measures to protect and restore network infrastructure from vandalism,” the company said.
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Device repayments, insurance fees, value-added services, out-of-bundle data rates, and top-up bundles will remain unchanged.
To offset the impact of higher charges, MTN is introducing additional benefits for select plans: MegaFlex customers will get up to 17% more airtime, Yellow Plans will include 20% extra voice minutes, and Home Internet 5G and LTE customers will receive speed upgrades of up to 50%.
In October, MTN engaged with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to discuss sector challenges, including high data costs and uneven digital access.
The timing of the increases will depend on each customer’s billing cycle: out-of-bundle charges will adjust on February 1, 2026, while updated subscription fees will take effect when a customer’s monthly bill resets, with most cycles falling on the 1st, 5th, 11th, 12th, 17th, or 27th. Customers can check their billing dates via the MTN app.
MTN’s upcoming price adjustments underscore the telecom sector’s ongoing challenge of balancing affordability with the high costs of maintaining modern, resilient, and fast networks, especially as data usage continues to surge.
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Image Credit: Tech Cabal
