The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) has ruled that Telkom’s Completely Unlimited service, which comes with a 15GB fair use limit, misleads consumers.
The Telkom advertisement for its Completely Unlimited option states that “you will get unlimited mobile calls, fixed line calls, data, and SMSs. One bill, no surprises”.
However, one consumer pointed out in an ASA complaint that “a subscriber only receives 15GB of data per month before being throttled to an unusable speed of 128kbps”.
Telkom responded, arguing that fair usage policies have become the best possible means for all service providers to avoid widespread abuse.
Telkom said its offer is aimed at smartphone users, and that mobile users who consume 15GB or more on their phones “are clearly heavy users and need to opt for other products to suit their needs”.
The ASA was not convinced.
“The fact that the offer is effectively limited to 15GB is a material condition, especially given that this limitation contradicts the prominent message of unlimited data,” said the ASA.
“Telkom therefore carries a responsibility to communicate this limitation upfront, rather than hiding it in its policies and fine print.”
The ASA ruled that Telkom’s Completely Unlimited deal is communicated in a misleading manner, and that its advertising should be withdrawn with immediate effect.
