Fans ready to cancel MTN after 200% data bundle price increase

While fans have been picketing for #DataMustFall for what seems like eternity, MTN have u-turned on a decision to lower the price of their WhatsApp data bundles, and the social media streets are not impressed.

MTN announced this week that they would increase the price of the bundles from R10 to R30, after the initial demand for the cheaper bundle nearly crippled their system.

The company took to social media to explain that they had made the increase in order to keep the 3G lights on.

"The public response to MTN’s WhatsApp bundles have been exceptional. Unfortunately, due to a 300% increase in WhatsApp usage, the 3G network is under pressure. For this reason, MTN’s 1GB Monthly WhatsApp bundle will be repriced from R10 to R30," MTN said on Twitter. 

They went on to claim that certain people will still have the data priced at R10 but these were people mostly with feature phones.

"However, the most vulnerable South Africans that are currently spending less than R10 on WhatsApp per month, will be protected from the change and will still have access to this low cost WhatsApp bundle. These customers, who are primarily using feature phones on the 3G network, will still have access to a WhatsApp bundle at R10 a month."

But the news hit social media fans like a bomb, with some even joking that the people who decide on the petrol price or the president were the real reason behind the change.

Some even held funerals for their MTN sim cards, as they went shopping for other networks. 

Maybe the solution is a stokvel for data bundles?