Afrihost Air Mobile dominates Capitec Connect, FNB Connect, Melon Mobile

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) offer South Africans an alternative channel to the country’s major mobile network operators (MNOs), MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, and Cell C.

A MyBroadband analysis has revealed that Afrihost’s Air Mobile offers the best pricing on data bundles and some of the best validity periods for said bundles.

South African MVNOs saw significant growth in 2024. These mobile service providers don’t own or operate their own network infrastructure and instead buy wholesale access from MNOs to provide connectivity to their clients.

While Cell C is the largest enabler of MVNOs in South Africa, it faces increasing competition from MTN and Vodacom in the market.

The space has recently seen an influx of new entrants and MVNO subscribers.

According to a report from research and advisory firm BMIT, MVNO subscribers nearly doubled from 2.5 million in 2022 to just short of five million in 2024.

The MVNO space is expected to observe continued growth, with subscriber numbers expected to rise to between 11 million and 12 million by 2029.

Capitec Connect currently claims to be the country’s biggest MVNO. In 2024, its client base grew by 1.4 million, and its revenue increased by 137%.

Capitec Connect head Dalene Steyn recently told MyBroadband that Capitec Connect expanded its value proposition in 2024 to offer more attractive data bundles, airtime advances, and a better client experience.

The MVNO has big plans for 2025, with one of its planned launches supporting eSIM technology.

MyBroadband compared data prices and validity periods for typical data allocations across 11 MVNOs available to South African consumers.

We chose common data allocations: 100MB, 500MB, 1GB, 5GB, and 10GB.

While Afrihost Air Mobile’s 100MB bundle isn’t the cheapest at R10, with Capitec Connect offering the same allocation for R3, the validity period arguably makes Afrihost’s offering more attractive.

Afrihost’s bundles are valid for 60 days, while Capitec Connect’s 100MB bundle is only valid for one day.

Afrihost Air Mobile’s price is matched by Shoprite K’nect, which also charges R10 for the bundle, valid for 60 days. However, Shoprite Money Market holders get a 50% discount, dropping the price to R5.

For reference, Shoprite Money Market holders on Shoprite K’nect get the best pricing for 100MB, 500MB, and 1GB bundles. It doesn’t offer a discount on bundles larger than 2GB yet.

Standard Bank Connect offers the best pricing for 500MB data bundles at R25. The MVNO’s 500MB and 1GB data bundles have no validity period and don’t expire.

Afrihost Air Mobile is also the most affordable for 1GB and 10GB bundles. The MVNO charges R30 for a 60-day 1GB bundle and R150 for a 60-day 10GB bundle.

Standard Bank Connect is the next-most affordable for 1GB bundles at R50, with no expiry.

Axxess Mobile is the most affordable for 5GB bundles. While it doesn’t have a bundle offering exactly 5GB, its 5.5GB bundle is still cheaper than the competition at R99, valid for 90 days.

It is closely followed by Afrihost Air Mobile’s 60-day 5GB bundle for R100.

Capitec Connect and Melon Mobile are tied for the second-most affordable 10GB bundles, with both MVNOs charging R199 and both valid for 30 days.

The table below compares pricing and validity periods for 100MB, 500MB, 1GB, 5GB, and 10GB bundles across various mobile virtual network operators.

Where MVNOs don’t have exact comparisons, we have included pricing for a relevant nearby data allocation.