MTN, Data bundles and Vitumbua

Yesterday MTN posted a data tip titbit on their Facebook page. The details and advice contained in the image left us bemused and confused. According to MTN we must go back to 2005 and browse in a single window, ignoring web browser requirement 101 to run tabs. Point 2 is mute and is valid whether you want to open up one page or multiple, you must have a data bundle.

We thought we should glance at the technical merits of the advice. Firstly, the internet is billed in kilobits used rather than browser tabs open using kilobits. The charging system at MTN does not care (it lacks the Artificial Intelligence) if your kilobits are being used by WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, Chrome or Opera it will count them and deduct them from your data bundle. Secondly, with the speed of browsing and millennials ability to multi-task does MTN expect them to stare at a blank page as it loads? No MTN, we will simultaneously consume Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp and the 4 web pages we are flicking through because that is what browsing post-2005 consists of.

Without labouring the technical incorrectness of the advice we find it suffice to say the real message from MTN is browse less, visit family more and use your pennies to buy