Cell C in partnership with, ZTE Corporation, New Age Holdings and the Department of Communications, today unveiled a fully-equipped computer lab donated to the newly-opened Diepsloot Primary School, as part of the Ministry’s special schools programme.

Officially opened by the Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Stella Tembisa Ndabeni, the lab houses 10 of the latest Dell XPS desktop computers with core i7 processors and running windows server using NComputing on thin client.

Cell C has also included 12 months’ worth of free Internet connectivity to the school, which consists of 60GB of data for 12 months and a USB speedstick capable of speeds up to 21.6Mbps.

The computer lab will be used for basis Internet browsing, research for school projects, computer literacy training and school assignments.

In addition, Cell C has also donated 50 sets of school uniforms valued at R35,000 to the needy boy and girl learners.

“We are proud to be collaborating and engaging with the Communications Ministry on this great initiative aimed at developing our future leaders through ICT. We believe that by exposing learners to ICT and technology we are also positively contributing towards bridging the digital divide,” says Mothibi Ramusi, Executive Head: Regulatory Affairs.

“The department of Communications put out a call-to-action and we actioned – because we are the possibilities provider,” Ramusi concludes. 

Tagged “Reclaiming our future through ICT”, the specials schools programme also aims to provide computers, internet connectivity and school uniforms to needy and underserviced schools.

Since Cell C launched its HSPA+ network coverage in September 2010, it has connected schools across the country through its schools connectivity programme.

"Cell C has urged the school administration body to integrate the lab programme with local community for buy-in and use. We believe this will culminate in sustained revenue generation," echoed Ramusi.

Cell C is wholeheartedly behind government’s plan to bring 100% broadband coverage to South Africa by 2020. We are already more than halfway there with our own network and plan to have completed the 100% coverage mark well in advance of government’s deadline. 

The Board of Cell C announces that it has today decided to appoint Alan Knott-Craig as the new Chief Executive Officer of Cell C.  Mr Knott Craig will join the company and the Cell C Board of Directors on 1 April 2012. 

His appointment follows a comprehensive search both domestically and internationally.

Simon Duffy, the non-executive Chairman who has been interim CEO for the past 6 months, said, “Alan is one of the most capable and experienced leaders in the industry and I am confident that his appointment will significantly enhance Cell C’s ability to provide an excellent service to its customers and to compete even more effectively for their business. Cell C has carved out a strong position as an innovative alternative in the industry and, having made considerable progress over the past few years, is strategically well-positioned for growth. ”

Duffy added, “The directors and I are delighted that Alan has accepted our offer and we look forward to supporting him as he brings his considerable knowledge and expertise, as well as his experience as a manager and a leader, to Cell C.  We are looking to him to drive and implement the company’s strategy in the next phase of its development. ”

Alan Knott Craig said, “After a break from the telecommunications industry, I am looking forward to being at the helm of Cell C. The mobile telecommunications sector is a highly innovative and disruptive industry, and I am excited about the challenge of making Cell C a more effective competitor to the dominant players.  The company has benefited from considerable investment in the past few years, particularly in its network but also in many other areas of the business, and I am confident that I will be able to build on that investment to accelerate the company’s growth. ’’

Study across 14 mobile operators in 11 emerging markets concludes that mobile retail channels present opportunity for the advancement of women entrepreneurs

Increased collaboration between stakeholders can boost sales and bring tangible economic and social advantages to women

Culturally determined roles need not be a barrier, regional pilot projects employing women demonstrate

Dubai-UAE: 29 November, 2011 –An in-depth study on the role of women in the mobile phone industry has highlighted the social and economic advantages of including more women entrepreneurs into the mobile value chain.

Undertaken by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, leading partner STC and market research firm TNS, the niche study drew participation from several mobile network operators, distributors, vendors and other industry stakeholders across 11 markets including Bahrain, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Qatar, South Africa, Tanzania, the Philippines and Uganda.

According to the report, mobile retail sales present a flexible and relatively easy business opportunity for women entrepreneurs. The study also highlights the gains that mobile operators can make by having more women in their retail chains, including higher revenue potential through improved sales, stronger brand imaging and access to untapped markets.

The findings reveal regional variations in women’s participation in the mobile value chain. In India, Indonesia and the Middle East, it was found that the majority of participants in the mobile value chain were male, while in Africa and the Philippines most mobile vendors were found to be women, although the majority are working at the micro-level.

The study outlines recommendations for the mobile industry, NGOs and governments to address the challenge of integrating more women into the mobile value chain. Noting that statistics in this domain are hard to come by, the report urges mobile network operators and distributors to build a business case by collecting data on the performance of their retail agents from a gender perspective. Governments and NGOs are encouraged to work together to create targeted initiatives to drive female participation in the mobile value chain.

The report cites Vodafone Qatar’s ‘Al-Johara’ scheme as an example of the benefits of such collaboration. In the context of Qatar, where cultural considerations may limit the participatory options of women in the nation’s mobile value chain, ‘Al-Johara’ provides women with training, leading to increased skills for the women and increased sales for Vodafone Qatar.

Commenting on the findings of the study, Cherie Blair, Founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, added: “Women entrepreneurs stand to gain a great deal from selling mobile products.  Setting up a mobile sales business is relatively easy and has a flexibility that suits the way many women live their lives. But there is also a real business case for mobile operators to include women in mobile value chains, as they offer significant advantages such as better branding and access to new markets.   I hope that mobile operators will read this report and recognise it's in their own interests as well as women's to increase opportunities for women entrepreneurs, particularly higher up the mobile value chain.”

As a follow up to this report, the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women aims to partner with leaders in the mobile industry to develop sustainable programmes which allow women entrepreneurs to better capitalise on the growth of the mobile industry while minimising associated risks.

To view the full report, please click on the link below:

Women Entrepreneurs in Mobile Retail Channels

Cell C has joined forces with Google’s innovation program called Umbono and The Hub in Cape Town to support technology entrepreneurial development in South Africa.

With small and medium businesses being one of the largest drivers of employment and economic development in the country, Government is encouraging larger businesses to look at building up and supporting smaller companies.

Cell C’s collaboration with Google is a step towards engaging potential innovators and building the mobile internet ecosystem, that will in turn contribute to the South African economy.    

The Umbono program is a 6-month incubation project for technology entrepreneurs hoping to get their products off the ground. Google, together with its angel investors, have selected four teams of entrepreneurs – and will select at least two more - to benefit from the incubation process.

The application process is open year round and is accessible at: www.google.co.za/umbono.

The chosen teams will receive seed capital, and mentorship from some of the world’s and SA’s hottest business leads to help them develop a solid business plan and prepare to get their products off the ground. It is expected that at the end of the six months, the most successful teams will receive follow-on funding from the local venture capital community or from investors overseas.

“Umbono aims to bring together all the elements necessary for tech start-ups to trial their ideas and ultimately attract additional rounds of investment to grow their businesses,” says Luke Mckend, Google South Africa Country Manager.  

“We’ve seen some great applications to the Umbono programme, and we’re delighted to welcome these particularly innovative start-ups onboard. Throughout the programme, teams will not only benefit from local business mentorship, but also from the extensive mentorship network of Google experts”.

The five teams will be housed at The Hub in Cape Town, where they will have access to business facilities, like a boardroom and Internet access, which would otherwise have been difficult for the start-ups to fund themselves.

Cell C will be paying the fees for all five teams to be housed at The Hub and has installed state-of-the-art connectivity to ensure that the teams have everything they need to succeed.

“A project like this has not been undertaken in SA before, which is why Cell C joined forces with Google to make this a reality. Because innovation is a key value within Cell C as an organization, it makes sense that we put our efforts behind a project that encourages new ideas,” says Simon Camerer, Cell C Executive Head of Marketing.

As part of the program, the teams will have access to Cell C product developers as mentors, and Cell C will have access to on the latest tools local developers would like to see brought to market.  “The new technologies that come out of the program keep Cell C at the bleeding edge of technology innovation. These technologies will not only benefit people from across the globe, but also Cell C’s customers,” says Camerer.

Cell C hopes that the project will be a blueprint for other projects and encourage the growth of a wider variety of mobile, internet and technology entrepreneurs in the future.

“With government supporting the millennium development goals of job creation and economic development, we are confident that the innovations that come out of the project will contribute towards on social and economic development,” says Mercia Maserumule, Cell C's CSI manager.

Cell C today announced that it has extended its HSPA+ coverage in the Free State with the launch of its network in the city of Welkom and neighbouring towns of Kroonstad and Koppies.

This comes almost one year after Bloemfontein, the province’s capital, became the second city in the country to benefit from Cell C’s HSPA+ network.  Today, Cell C is providing fast and affordable internet access to more than 63% of the country’s population.

Mothibi Ramusi, Cell C’s Executive Head of Regulatory Affairs said the company sees the introduction of the new network as an economic enabler which has the potential to change the lives of millions of South Africans.

“Cell C’s new network is having a positive effect on the lives of everyday South Africans, across a broad range of economic circumstances and geographical locations.   Broadband access impacts on almost all elements of everyday life including health care, education, banking andemployment opportunities.

He said Cell C willcontinue to roll out its national broadband infrastructure to facilitate school, medical facilities, government, citizens and sector connectivity plans.  “We call upon the Free State community to engage with us and together develop sustainable enterprise initiatives towards the 2020 ICT vision.

Cell C also donated modems and data bundles to two local schools. Bodibeng Secondary School in Kroonstad and Lebogang Secondary School in Welkom each received 10 Speedsticks and 60GB of data (5GB x 12 months) per modem.  

Cell C will become the country’s first mobile operator to partner with social network service, Facebook when it launches its location-based service Check-in Deals in South Africa.

By simply checking-in to a location using Facebook’s mobile platforms, consumers can take advantage of great deals offered by participating vendors. 

“It is another proud first for the company,” said Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing.

“Cell C is will be one of only three launch partners and the only mobile operator to partner with Facebook in South Africa, when the service is introduced to the local market on 1 September.

He said with South Africa being one of highest-using Facebook nations in the world, it was only natural to look at this environment to connect with customers and in this instance offer them great value offers through Check-in Deals.

“We have put together two very competitive, not-to-be-missed deals which will be offered exclusively to Facebook users who follow the check in and redemption process.

The first deal at R129p/m over 24 months includes a Nokia C3 handset with 100 off-peak minutes per month on Casual Chat 100.  As an added bonus, customers will also receive 24GB of data (2GB of data p/m over 12 months) and a 7.2Mbps USB speedstick.

The second deal is equally attractive.  For only R99 per month over 24 months customers can get their hands on the Nokia E5 handset with 100 off-peak minutes per month on Casual Chat 100.  As an added bonus, customers will also get a 7.2Mbps capable Cell C speedstick with 3GB of once-off data (valid for 365 days).

Camerer added that the two deals would be available through Check-in Deals from 1 September 2011 to 30 November 2011 at Cell C stores countrywide.

How to access Check-in Deals

1.     Log onto Facebook Mobile

2.     Click on “Places”

3.     Choose the Cell C store closest to you

4.     View the deals you are eligible for

5.     “Check in” to the Cell C store

6.     Click on “Claim the Deal”

7.     A virtual voucher will appear on your handset screen.

8.     Show this voucher to the store clerk.

9.     Once the validity of the voucher has been confirmed, the normal sales procedure will be followed.

 Cell C is extending its HSPA+ coverage in the Western Cape with the launch of its network in two new towns in the province.

Customers living in Paarl, or its companion in the heart of the Cape Winelands, Wellington, will from today have access to very fast internet connections on Cell C's HSPA+ 900 network.

“We have covered all the major metro cities in the country, and the launch in Paarl and Wellington marks the start of the second phase of our rollout covering smaller towns across the country,” says Simon Camerer, Cell C's Executive Head of Marketing.

While Paarl and Wellington are the focus coverage areas, surrounding lands will likely also experience connectivity thanks to the rollout of the network in the 900MHz frequency which provides for wider coverage and deeper in-door penetration.

Camerer said Cell C outlets and participating retailers in both Paarl and Wellington are stocked and ready to welcome new customers onto the Cell C network.  He reminds customers to take advantage of Cell C's 2GB and 5GB data offers before the promotion, which caused a massive stir in the market place almost one year ago, comes to an end.  The two products, retailing at R149 and R299 per month for 2GB and 5GB of data per month over 12 months respectively also include a Cell C USB data speedstick.  Cell C also offers a range of other data products starting from as little as R749 once-off for 3GB of data and a Cell C USB data speedstick.    

 Cell C today announced that it had continued to enjoy good growth in 2010, increasing both revenue and customer numbers.

Kimberley will be the first city in the Northern Cape to benefit from Cell C’s broadband services, with the launch of the company’s network in the city today.

According to recent research, over 700 schools in the Northern Cape don’t have access to affordable Internet, many of them in Kimberley itself.

As part of our rollout in Kimberley Cell C will provide broadband connectivity to one of the local schools, Tshireleco Secondary School. The school will receive 5 routers and 5 speed sticks with 60GB Sims.

“Cell C remains committed to bring affordable Internet access to the people of South Africa. This is one step towards the Department of Communications’ plan to ensure 100% of South Africans have access to the Internet by 2020,” says Mothibi Ramusi Cell C’s Executive Head of Regulatory Affairs.

While Kimberley is the focus of the launch, thanks to the deeper coverage of Cell C’s H+900 network, some of the surrounding towns will also have access to the coverage.

“We have committed not only to connect educational and healthcare institutions, but to also have a follow through support programme aimed at developing SMME in the area, which will form part of our job creation initiative,” says Ramusi.

Cell C was the first operator in South Africa to utilize both the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands. HSPA+ 900 delivers wider coverage, higher speeds at the cell edge and deeper indoor coverage, HSPA+ 2100 will increase capacity where needed.

 Cell C is adding more value to the lives of SA consumers and small business owners, with the launch of its new bigger bundled broadband products at exceptional prices.

On 1 August, Cell C will be unveiling its 10GB and 20GB packages on the SA market with the aim of bringing the H+900 deep | wide| strong network to higher-demand Internet users.

“Cell C has heard the call from SA consumers and small business owners to provide larger bandwidth products at competitive prices to help them meet their own day-to-day Internet access demands,” says Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing.

The 10GB per month package, standard with either a 7.2Mbps MyZone router or 21.6Mbps Speed Stick, will cost the customer R499 per month on contract for 12 months or R4999 once off on prepaid.

The 20GB per month package, also standard with a MyZone router or Speed Stick will be available at R899 per month on contract or R8999 once-off on prepaid.

Both prepaid packages will also be available as “SIM only" variants at a R1 000 discount.  Customers that already own a Speed Stick or router will be able to purchase a 120GB SIM (10GB per month) for R3 999 once-off or the 240GB SIM (20GB per month) for R7 999.  Cell C's out-of-bundle rate of 39c applies to these packages.

The two new products will be available to customers from the beginning of August from any Cell C franchise store, and participating retail outlets.

“Coupled with our recently launched 3GB once-off offer for R399, Cell C now has a comprehensive range of broadband products that cater for a cross section of consumer needs, enabling them to get the best out of Cell C’s new H+900 network,” says Camerer.

 On June 16th 1976, a group of incredibly brave young students embarked on a protest march, making their voices heard against the

injustices of the time. They were fighting to learn in a language that they understood. Thanks in large part to their actions, we’re now free

to express ourselves using whatever words or language we choose.

Cell C is going to get the youth of South Africa talking, and celebrating their own language, and others by starting a South African Urban Dictionary, sastreetdictionary.co.za.

It’s the platform for the youth to express themselves in a way that they understand.

It also creates a way for the youth to share their words with peers of different cultures, and learn something in the process.

So go to www.sastreetdictionary.co.za now and submit your word. The first 10 words that are published will win an F250 cellphone, Cell C Welcome Pack and a R50 recharge voucher.

Cell C is welcoming new prepaid customers by offering them a R25 Welcome Bonus, just for signing up, registering (RICA) and recharging.

Customers that purchase any prepaid package between the 24^th of June and the 15^th of July will receive R25 airtime to use as they wish.  

Not only will new customers benefit from the great Welcome Bonus Cell C is extending, but they will also have access to Cell C’s prepaid standard services which include a R1.50 All Day Rate to any network, giving them the freedom to call whomever they want, whenever they want.

New customers will get great value from Cell C’s Woza Wheneva offering, giving them 10 extra on-net minutes every time they recharge with R10 or more per week.

With the launch of Cell C’s All in One Vouchers in June, our new prepaid customers will also be able talk, text, surf and save while they experience our wide, deep and strong H+900 network. 

 Cell C (Pty) Limited (“Cell C”) announced today the final results of its offer to purchase for cash (the “Offer to Purchase”) and consent solicitation (the “Consent Solicitation”) in respect of its outstanding USD270 million 11% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2015 (ISINs: Reg S XS0224153360/ 144A US15114VAA08) (the “Notes”). In addition, Cell C also announced the results of its asset sale offer at par for up to USD138,016,000 in principal amount of the Notes (the “Asset Sale Offer”, together with the Offer to Purchase and the Consent Solicitation, the “Offers”).

As of 5pm NYT on 21 June 2011 (the “Late Deadline”), USD108,528,000 in aggregate principal amount of Notes have been validly tendered under the Offer to Purchase and Holders of an additional USD143,706,000 in aggregate principal amount of Notes have validly delivered their consents without tendering their Notes as part of the Consent Solicitation. As consents exceeding 93% of the Notes have been received, the majority consents required to implement the proposed amendments have been obtained. Cell C has therefore executed a supplemental indenture, which will become effective on the Settlement Date (which is expected to occur no later than 23 June 2011).

Tender & Consent Alternative: Holders who validly tendered their Notes (thereby delivering their consents) prior to 5pm NYT on 6 June 2011 (the “Early Deadline”) will receive the Early Offer Consideration of USD1,031.25 per USD1,000 principal amount of Notes. Holders who validly tendered their Notes (thereby delivering their consents) after the Early Deadline but prior to the Late Deadline will receive the Late Offer Consideration of USD1,027.50 per USD1,000 principal amount of Notes. In addition to the Early Offer Consideration or Late Offer Consideration (as applicable), Holders whose Notes are accepted for purchase will also receive accrued and unpaid interest on such Notes.

Consent Only Alternative: Holders who validly delivered their consents without tendering their Notes prior to the Early Deadline will be eligible to receive the Consent Consideration of USD2.50 per USD1,000 principal amount of Notes.

As of the Asset Sale Offer Deadline of 5pm NYT on 20 June 2011, no Notes were tendered under the Asset Sale Offer.

Full terms and conditions of the Offers are set out in the Circular dated 20 May 2011 and the related Letter of Transmittal. Sole Dealer Manager: Citi (Liability Management: +44 20 7986 8969); Tender and Tabulation Agent: Citibank, N.A. (+44 20 7508 3867).

Certain restrictions applied – please refer to the Circular.

“MyTools”, a groundbreaking service was awarded the Global Telecoms Business innovation award

Cell C and development partner fonYou have put South Africa’s innovation capability on the map by scooping the Global Telecoms Business Innovation Award in the consumer services category for its innovative cloud telephony service “MyTools”.

Cell C was the first mobile provider globally to introduce this cloud-based service for mobile devices and by doing so pipped global heavyweights Telefonica and Sprint to the post.

Cell C unveiled “MyTools” to customers earlier this year. The service allows Cell C customers, smart address book, advanced call control features or visual voicemail – all accessible through web and mobile phone browsers.

MyTools service puts the power in the customer’s hands by allowing them to control almost every aspect of their mobile device in the cloud.

It fully integrates with all your social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, synchronizing in real time over the air. Why not post a fun SMS to Facebook or Twitter?

It allows customers to instantly route any calls they don’t want to voicemail or blacklist them entirely. It also lets customers add custom voicemail messages for each contact.

With MyTools customers can manage contacts and messages online, forward voicemails as emails, or set up call forwarding services at different times of the day.

“Bringing ‘My Tools’ to life has been one of the most exciting projects I have ever worked on in my career. It is the perfect embodiment of Cell C’s tagline ‘The Power is in Your Hands!’ as it really puts all a customer does with a mobile device at their fingertips. And to have been able to launch this before anybody else in the world is a great privilege,” says Cell C Senior Manager VAS Applications & Services, Wellington Sibande.
  
The GTB Innovation Awards has been designed to recognise products created under partnerships between operators and vendors.

"Cell C has built with fonYou's platform sticky services around their most valuable asset - network access.  These valuable and popular services are unique to Cell C and strengthen its position as innovation leader in South Africa, allowing their customers to control their mobile number and service online, which no other operator offers," says Fernando Núñez-Mendoza, CEO of fonYou Telecom.

“As the challenger in the South African mobile space, Cell C is committed to bringing competition to the market. One of the ways we have brought much needed competition is through our innovation and we are proud to offer our customers a service that is now award-winning and recognised on a global stage,” says Cell C CEO Lars Reichelt.

 Cell C today brings much needed connectivity to one of the most poorly connected areas in the country, Mafikeng, with the rollout of its HSPA+ 900 network.

Mafikeng will be the first city in the North West province to experience Whooosh!™ after years of being considered an underserviced area. “The roll-out of our HSPA+ 900 network in Mafikeng shows Cell C’s commitment to government’s goal of bringing connectivity to areas that have been neglected in the past and our drive to bring broadband to all South Africans,” says Lars P. Reichelt, Cell C CEO.

Over 90% of the schools in the province do not have access to affordable Internet and Cell C wants to change that. As a first step Cell C, in partnership with network partner ZTE, will provide Lapologang High School, Kebonang Secondary School and the Montshioa Town Clinic with access to computing and broadband technologies.

“It is an honour to provide high quality affordable services to the local community, which traditionally are only available in large metropolitan cities,” says Terry Goliath, ZTE Business development director. “ZTE identifies with the spirit of Ubuntu and is firmly committed to not only supply cutting-edge technology infrastructure in South Africa, but also to work with operators such as Cell C in order to revolutionise the telecommunications landscape, making high quality communication services available to all.”

ZTE will kit out Lapologang High School’s computer lab with modems and Cell C will provide free Internet access for a year.

Kebonang Secondary School and the Montshioa Town Clinic will each receive a computer, a printer and access to the Internet for a year.

June 7, 2011 — Cell C (Pty) Limited (“Cell C”) today announced the results, as of the Early Deadline (defined below), of its offer to purchase for cash (the “Offer to Purchase”) any and all of its outstanding $270,000,000 11% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2015 (Reg S ISIN: XS0224153360; 144A ISIN: US15114VAA08) (the “Notes”) from each holder of Notes (the “Holders”) and solicitation of consents (the “Consent Solicitation”) to certain amendments to the indenture governing the Notes (the “Proposed Amendments”).

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 6, 2011 (the “Early Deadline”), $108,158,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes have been validly tendered in the Offer to Purchase and Holders of an additional $142,506,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes have validly delivered their Consents (without tendering Notes in the Offer) as part of the Consent Solicitation. As a result, the majority consents required to implement the Proposed Amendments have been obtained (exceeding 92% of the Notes outstanding).

Subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Circular dated May 20, 2011 (the “Circular”) and the related Letter of Transmittal, Holders of Notes who validly tendered and did not validly withdraw their Notes under the Offer to Purchase prior to the Early Deadline and whose Notes are accepted for purchase will be eligible to receive the Early Offer Consideration of $1,031.25 per $1,000 principal amount. Holders who validly delivered, and did not validly revoke, their Consents prior to the Early Deadline without tendering their Notes will be entitled to receive the Consent Consideration of $2.50 per $1,000 principal amount.

Holders may continue to tender Notes in the Offer to Purchase prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 21, 2011, unless extended or earlier terminated (the “Late Deadline”). Holders who validly tender their Notes under the Offer to Purchase after the Early Deadline, but prior to the Late Deadline and whose Notes are accepted for purchase will be eligible to receive the Late Offer Consideration of $1,027.50 per $1,000 principal amount. Holders of tendered Notes accepted for payment will also be entitled to receive accrued and unpaid interest from (and including) the immediately preceding interest payment date up to (but excluding) the Settlement Date (which Cell C expects to be no later than June 23, 2011). The right to withdraw Notes tendered under the Offer to Purchase and Consents delivered under the Consent Solicitation terminated at the Early Deadline.

In conjunction with the Offer to Purchase and the Consent Solicitation, Cell C is conducting an asset sale offer for up to $138,016,000 in principal amount of the Notes (the “Asset Sale Offer,” and together with the Offer to Purchase and the Consent Solicitation, the “Offers”). The Asset Sale Offer expires at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 20, 2011 (the “Asset Sale Offer Deadline”). Holders who tender their Notes in the Asset Sale Offer prior to the Asset Sale Offer Deadline will receive the Asset Sale Offer Consideration of $1,000 per $1,000 principal amount in respect of the Notes that are accepted for payment (plus accrued and unpaid interest), which acceptance will be subject to proration if more than the maximum amount of Notes is tendered in the Asset Sale Offer. There are no conditions to the Asset Sale Offer.

The Circular and the related Letter of Transmittal set out the full terms of the Offers. Copies of the Circular and the related Letter of Transmittal are available from the Tender and Tabulation Agent, which can be contacted at the e-mail address and telephone number set out below. Holders may also contact the Dealer Manager at the e-mail address and telephone number set out below for information concerning the Offers.

For press enquiries:
Karin Fourie, Cell C Public and Media Relations Manager
Telephone number: +27 11 324 4061
Email address: KFourie@cellc.co.za

 With only two days left until the RICA deadline of 30 June Cell C would like to remind all customers that all SIM cards that have not been registered by midnight on Thursday will be cut off.

Customers are reminded that ALL devices that use SIM cards, including speedsticks, phones and smartphones must be registered to avoid being cut-off.

Cell C Executive Head of Sales and Distribution, Sue Kennedy says: “While RICA registrations have picked up dramatically over the last few days, there are still many customers that need to RICA their SIM cards or risk having them cut-off.”

Cell C is urging all customers to confirm their RICA status, by dialing *133*7422# (or *133*RICA#) or simply SMS “RICA” to 14579. The SMS is free to all Cell C customers. For further information on RICA, customers can also dial 147 or ask in-store.

If customers have not been registered, they can visit their nearest Cell C store or go anywhere they see a RICA signage to register. Customers must take a green barcoded identity book, the SIM card and proof of a physical address (like a bank statement or water and lights bill, which is less than three months old).

If you don’t have a formal address you can ask your church, a shop where they receive post or school for an affidavit and use that as proof of residence.

Customers are reminded that the legislation requires face-to-face verification.

Selected Cell C retail and franchise outlets will be open late on 30 June to cater for the last minute rush of registrations. 

 SUE KENNEDY – EXECUTIVE HEAD: SALES & DISTRIBUTION

 Simply put these allow our customers to TALK, TEXT, SURF and SAVE.

Johannesburg, 01 June 2011 - Cell C’s prepaid and CONTROLCHAT customers will get exceptional value and convenience when they activate the new All In One Vouchers.

The All In One Vouchers allow Cell C prepaid customers to buy a single voucher that will recharge Cell C to Cell C voice minutes, SMSs and Data that provide unbelievable savings.

“Now prepaid customers will be able to talk, text, and surf with the same voucher,” says Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing.

Prepaid customers can purchase one of three vouchers ranging from between R49 and R199.

Breakdown of what is included on the vouchers:

“We want our prepaid customers to experience Woooooooshh, we want them to see what the network can deliver and we wanted to do this together with other benefits that our customers enjoy and of course continuing to provide our customers with great savings,” says Camerer.

CONTROLCHAT customers will also be able to top up with the new vouchers and experience this great offer.

Customers that renew or sign a new CONTROLCHAT 100 or higher contract with Cell C will get an added bonus of the CONTROLCHAT ‘Boost’, which gives them a once off All In One R199 voucher, which includes 500 Cell C to Cell C minutes, 500 SMS, and 500MB which is valid for 60 days.

The All In One Vouchers and the CONTROLCHAT Boost will be available from 1 June from all Cell C stores.

Cell C (Pty) Limited Announces Offer to Purchase, a Consent Solicitation and an Asset Sale Offer, in respect of its Dollar-Denominated Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2015

May 20, 2011 — Cell C (Pty) Limited announced today that it is offering to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding $270,000,000 11% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2015.  Cell C is also soliciting consents from holders of the Notes to certain proposed amendments to the indenture governing the Notes that would eliminate most of the restrictive covenants and certain events of default in the indenture. In addition, by reason of a recently completed asset sale, Cell C is conducting an asset sale offer for up to $138,016,000 in principal amount of the Notes.  The asset sale offer will expire on June 20, 2011, and the offer to purchase and consent solicitation will expire on June 21, 2011.

Cell C is currently in discussions with various lenders to obtain bank facilities to fund capital expenditures pursuant to its R4.7 billion capital expenditure programme announced in 2009.  Since the issuance of the Notes in 2005, Cell C’s subscriber base, revenues and operating cash flows have increased and, since 2008, its net debt (excluding shareholder loans) expressed in rand has decreased, representing a significant de-leveraging of its capital structure.

Cell C believes that the capital expenditure initiatives and the reorganisation of Cell C’s operations with the aim of becoming a leading provider of mobile telecommunication services in South Africa necessitate a realignment of its capital structure.  Cell C views the offer to purchase and related consent solicitation as a significant step in achieving its realignment objectives, and views the offer to purchase as a more efficient way to realign its capital structure than a redemption of the Notes.

This announcement is not an offer to purchase any Notes or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes.

For press enquiries:
Karin Fourie, Cell C Public and Media Relations Manager
Telephone number: +27 11 324 4061
Email address: KFourie@cellc.co.za

Cell C today launched its upgraded 42Mbps network in Port Elizabeth, eight months after it officially switched on Africa’s first HSPA+900 network in the city.

“We are keeping our promise. When we launched our HSPA+900 network, we made a commitment to upgrade the network to 42Mbps within a few months to allow for a better customer experience. We have done just that,” said Lars P. Reichelt, Chief Executive Officer of Cell C.

He said the network upgrade to 42 Mbps is the latest in the technology evolution of the network and allows for faster upload and downloadspeeds but more importantly allows for greater capacity at the upgraded sites.

Reichelt explained that Cell C’s network, which is based on Software Defined Technology (SDR), enables the company to do a simple hardware expansion for additional radio capacity and a remote software installation and configuration of the site to enable the Dual Carrier capability.  “By the use of SDR technology this did not require any hardware swaps to a new system, just capacity upgrades.

New modems that can support download speeds of up to 42Mbps would be available in stores in the coming weeks. Cell C customers with existing 7.2 Mbps and 21.6Mbps modems will also benefit due to the increased capacity on the network as a result of the upgrade.

In one of the fastest deployments of an HSPA+ network anywhere in the world, Cell C is offering its 21 Mbps HSPA+ network in 13 cities and currently provides fast and affordable internet access to more than 40% of the country’s population.

Reichelt said that company was on track to meet its 67% population coverage target by mid 2011 and will not rest until the job is done.  “The existing network will be bumped up to 42Mbps, where needed, in a phased approach while the company continues to expand its 21.6 Mbps HSPA+ rollout in the rest of the country.

Cell C’s HSPA+ Release 7 network is IP across all network elementsand is deployed in the 900 MHz frequency band to provide for wider coverage, higher speeds at the cell edge and better in-door penetration. HSPA+ 2100 delivers capacity where needed.

The customer is always right as the saying goes. And now there's been a study that proves it.

According to the 2010 Telco Innovation Study, conducted by advisory firm Innovation Agency, mobile users who are fed up with their network most often choose to switch to superfast Cell C.

Of the 14% of respondents who switched telecommunications providers, a whopping 47% chose to subscribe to Cell C.

Business Live reports that while respondents cited a variety of reasons for swapping networks, disappointing customer service topped the list. Women were also more likely to switch than men, according to Innovation Agency.

To read the story click here.




 

 The Consumer Protection Act is a new Act effective from the 1^st of April 2011 which protects all customers whether you’re buying a cellphone or car, and is fully supported by Cell C. For more information on the Consumer Protection Act, visit www.dti.gov.za

The first ever Cell C Tour of South Africa came to a successful close at the end of February. 

The overall Competition Winners are:

KOM - Daryl Impey (MTN Qhubeka)
Best African Rider - Johan Rabie (Team Bonitas)
Samsung Young Rider - Christopher Jennings (Team Burgos 2016)
Points - Yohann Gene (Team Europcar)
Team Winners - Team Europcar

Official photographer Craig Dutton put together this slideshow of all the action from the seven-stage cycle race. For more information and results click here.

Cell C today announced the introduction of its first Cell C branded handset. 

The Cell C F250 is packed with sophisticated features such as an MP3 player, Java applications and games, 2MP camera and video recorder, 15MB on-board memory and an integrated web browser with pre-loaded shortcuts to Facebook and YouTube for easy upload of pictures and videos.

Retailing at R399, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer says the company is providing customers from all income groups the opportunity to have access to fast and affordable voice and data communications.

“In addition to the handset, customers will also receive 200MB of data, 50 on-net minutes and 100 SMS’s once-off, when they activate their Cell C Welcomepack Sim Card. 

Camerer said the handset which is manufactured by Huawei is UMTS900 compatible which will provide faster data speeds as it runs on Cell C’s HSPA+ 900/2100 network.

The Cell C F250 is available at all Cell C retail outlets. 

Introducing Cell C's F250 cellphone for only R499 on prepaid.

At Cell C we want everyone to have the benefit of the internet in the palm of their hands. That’s why we are proud to offer a special deal on the first Low-Cost, Cell C branded, HSPA+ UMTS 900 cellphone, which helps you connect to Cell C's  superfast network.

Purchase your Cell C F250 at your nearest Cell C store or participating retail outlets from 1 February, activate the prepaid SIM card included and you’ll get access to the internet on your cellphone as well as great value on data.

For a once-off payment of just R499 you get:

1.   The Cell C F250 cellphone

2.     Cell C Prepaid SIM preloaded with these once-off benefits:

• 50 minutes Cell C to Cell C
• 100 SMSs
• 200MB of data

Phone features include:

•   2MP camera
•   MP3 player
•   Social networking
•   High speed data
•   FM Radio

Get yours now.  Click here to find out more.

Geniswa Jackson, an unemployed mother of one, became the first millionaire in Cell C’s DREAMCALL promotion when she entered the competition on Tuesday and found that her number was the lucky number drawn for that day.

 Geniswa Jackson and her husband, Fumbathile Sabani

Jackson, who is an avid churchgoer, said that her prayers did not fall on deaf ears. “Deep down, I’ve always known that God had something special planned for me. However, I didn’t expect him to answer my prayers in this way. They say good things come to those who wait upon the Lord.  I feel truly blessed.”

Eastern Cape’s newest millionaire said she would invest part of her winnings into a fund to ensure her son’s future education is taken care off and also plans to give money to those who have stood by her during difficult times.  “As an unemployed person, I would not have survived had it not been for my extended family, my supportive husband and my church. I will donate some funds to my community church and to a charity home that is very close to my heart.”

Cell C launched the DREAMCALL promotion on 31 October 2010 to provide customers the chance of winning more than R2,6 million in prizes, including a top prize of R1 million in cash, daily.

“We were confident that DREAMCALL would change a lot of lives,” commented Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer. “Today, we have proof.” 

He said that the promotion was just another way Cell C was trying to improve livelihoods and enhance lifestyles.  “Cell C wants to be the possibilities provider to its customers and I believe the door to endless possibilities has just opened for Geniswa.

Cell C customers who want to enter the promotion must SMS ‘Dream’ to 14567 or call 14567 from a Cell C number and SMS or call once a day to see if their number was drawn.

Fresh in from Europe, Team Rapha Condor-Sharp added their own sense of heat to the tour in a scorching 40 degree Paarl on Saturday at the seventh and final stage of the Cell C Tour of South Africa when Kristian House was announced overall Tour winner.

Rapha Condor-Sharp  Wins Inaugural Cell C Tour of South Africa

The 104km, 10 lap circuit stage which opened with a one lap neutral start.  As the peloton entered Main street, it was all go when Shaun Nick Bester launched an unsuccessful attack shortly after the start, which lasted for a short  500m until he was reeled back in by the peloton.

The third lap saw the first major breakaway of the day take place around a cheerful Paarl when a 9 man group broke clear of the leading pack, holding Sven van den Houte, Kevin Reza. Daniel Teklehaimanot, Waylon Woolcock, Richard Baxter, Nic White, Kevin Evans, Ian McLeod and Peter Seyffert. 

MTN Qhubeka and Team Rapha Condor-Sharp were chasing from the peloton as they had no teammates in the breakaway group.

The gap stayed at about 2min for about 4 laps when the peloton closed the 41 second advantage bringing the race back together preparing the finale inaugural Cell C Tour of South Africa for exciting sprint finish.

Team D’Angelo & Antenucci-Nippo took its third win of the tour, the stage 7 winner being Bernado Riccio followed by Maartijn Verschoor and Yohann Gene in second and third respectively

Competition winners for Stage 7:

KOM – Daryl Impey (MTN Qhubeka)

Best African Rider – Johan Rabie (Team Bonitas)

Samsung Young Rider – Christopher Jennings (Team Verandas Willems-Accent)

Points – Yohann Gene (Team Europcar)

The Cell C Tour of South Africa Overall Competition Winners:

KOM – Daryl Impey (MTN Qhubeka

Best African Rider – Johan Rabie (Team Bonitas)

Samsung Young Rider–Christopher Jennings (Team Verandas Willems-Accent)

Points – Yohann Gene (Team Europcar)

Team Winners – Team Europcar

For official photographs please log on to www.craigdutton.com

There are quite a few requests to our call centre with customers asking for advice on how to do balance enquiries.

Please note the methods for prepaid and contract below:

• Prepaid: dial *101# and press send or the green button
• Contract: sms BALANCE to 14302, or call *147#, option 3 If you still need further assistance, please dial 140.

 The Cell C Tour of South Africa would like to forewarn drivers in the Gauteng and Tshwane areas about traffic congestion and road restrictions that will affect travellers during the Inaugural Tour of South Africa.

Please familiarise yourself with the map of Stage 2 of the event to ascertain the best route to travel prior to leaving home.  The map is accompanied by a detailed road schedule and estimated time frame of when restrictions can be expected.   The details for each stage may be found under the stages section for your convenience.

We are alerting you to the routes early with the intent of causing as little inconvenience as possible in relation to the Cell C Tour of South Africa.
Please note that these are rolling road restrictions and not total road closure, so you will be delayed in bursts of anything from 10 minutes to 45 minutes pending on the routes you choose.

 STAGE 2: MONTECASINO VIA SOWETO TO MONTECASINO

 In accordance with the above map, herewith an approximate timeline of road restrictions to be expected during the Cell C Tour of South Africa for Stage 2.  Please bear in mind that the allocated times are when the peloton (cyclists) will be passing through those specific roads, but set up and removal of cones, back up etcetera will add on at least an extra 10 minutes each way.

Montecasino Amphitheatre Cyclists will gather at the Montecasino Piazza from 09:00 and the race will be live on the big screen.

Roodepoort Area The traffic intersection between Christiaan De Wet and Golf Club Terrace will be affected from approximately 10:25 until 10:40 and a further delay can be expected on Golf Club Terrace from 10:25 till 10:50

Soweto The peloton moves towards Dobsonville road from about 10:40 and will affect traffic between Dobsonville Road and Van Onselen Road for about 10 minutes.  The cyclists move through Soweto along Vincent Road, The Soweto Highway and out of Soweto which will restrict traffic for a further 25 minutes

City of Joburg From Soweto, The Cell C Tour of South Africa moves to the South of the M2 East heading toward the CBD where road restrictions will commence at Mewett / Booysens Streets from 11:15 till 11:40 where they exit the CBD
 

The Sandton Area – entry into the loop Coming from Hyde Park down William Nicol into Sandton Drive, the peloton will move into Rivonia Road toward Witkoppen to the finish and repeat this twice.  Road restrictions will commence on this stretch from 11:35 and will role until the end of the race at approximately 14:00 

First loop Monte down William Nicol into Santon Dr left into Rivonia back towards Witkoppen then to Monte -  Loop 1 road restrictions will commence from 12:00 till 14:00

Loop 2 road restrictions will commence from 12:00 till 14:00 Live coverage on Supersport and supporters can watch on the big screen ant Montecasino on both days.

 The Cell C Tour of South Africa would like to forewarn drivers in the Gauteng and Tshwane areas about traffic congestion and road restrictions that will affect travellers during the Inaugural Tour of South Africa.   

Please familiarise yourself with the map of Stage 1 of the event to ascertain the best route to travel prior to leaving home.  The map is accompanied by a detailed road schedule and estimated time frame of when restrictions can be expected.   The details are also on the Tour of South Africa website under each stage at www.tourofsa.co.za for your convenience.

We are alerting you to the routes early with the intent of causing as little inconvenience as possible in relation to the Cell C Tour of South Africa.

Please note that these are rolling road restrictions and not total road closure, so you will be delayed in bursts of anything from 10 minutes to 45 minutes pending on the routes you choose.

 STAGE 1: MENLYN PARK SHOPPING CENTRE TO MONTECASINO

 In accordance with the above map, herewith an approximate timeline of road restrictions to be expected during the Cell C Tour of South Africa for Stage 1.  Please bear in mind that the allocated times are when the peloton (cyclists) will be passing through those specific roads, but set up and removal of cones, back up etcetera will add on at least an extra 10 minutes each way.

 Menlyn to Church Street

10:00 – 10:10 Race commences on Mante Road where there will be a delay of approximately 10 minutes.  The race will then move from Church Street to Dumbarton Road.

 Duncan/ Church Street to Lavender Road

From Dumbarton Road at approximately 10:11am the peloton makes its way toward Union Buildings and will pass through the Union Buildings at about 10:15 where traffic delays can be expect up until approximately 10:25 at Beatrix Road. A total delay of approximately 20 minutes can be expected.

 These roads are fairly quiet Cyclists will travel on the M1 from 10:30 for approximately 40 minutes and will then head toward Hartebeespoort Dam. Restrictions will commence at approximately 10:15 until 11:20

 Hartbeespoort Area

The peloton reaches Haartebeespoort at approximately 11:25 where they cycle through the tunnel toward the four way stop.  Road restrictions will last for approximately 25 minutes

 Pecanwood Area

Heading out of Haartebeespoort Dam the peloton heads toward Randburg past Pecanwood where road restrictions will last for approximately 25 minutes

 Sterkfontein Caves area to Montecasino

The Kromdraai / Sterkfontein Caves area is fairly quiet, but road restrictions will be implemented from 12:50 to 13:30.

 Passes Lion Park and Dainfern to finish

Road restrictions will be implemented from 13:20 at Malibongwe Drive close to Lanseria (near Lion Park) and will be lifted at approximately 13:40

The Cell C Tour of South Africa is coming to town on Saturday and with 24 nations participating we’d love for our host nation to welcome the teams SA style....

Don your SA colours and get to the side of the road – here’s a breakdown per stage to make it easy to decide – we look forward to seeing you there.

Stage 1: Menlyn Park Shopping Centre to Montecasino

The teams will start at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre on Atterbury Road where they will be introduced to the public during sign on – they will then make their way to the official start in Manta Road and recommended viewing points for this stage are:

• 09:30 - Menlyn Park Shopping Centre
• 10:30 - Government Avenue – Union Buildings
• 11:15 - Haartebeespoort, about 65km into the race, at approximately 1KM from the tunnel there should be a sprint as cyclists come through the tunnel
• 13:30 – Fourways Mall area and corner Cedar and Witkoppen heading toward the finish cyclists will have had a straight road to cycle down before reaching a corner onto Witkoppen
• 13:51 - The finish area at Montecasino, on Witkoppen Road

Stage 2: Montecasino to Montecasino

The teams will meet and have a mock start in the Piazza area of Montecasino.  The start will commence on Witkoppen Road at the end of Montecasino Boulevard.  Recommended viewing areas for this stage are:

• 09:30 – Montecasino Piazza
• 10:30 – Soweto, Dobsonville road / Vincent Road
• 10:35 -  Near the FNB Stadium as they will pass through here
• 11:30 – Nelson Mandela Bridge
• 11:45 – Jan Smuts toward William Nicol teams will start making their way toward the first loop
• 11:50 -Top of Sandton Drive ( 3 laps)
• 12:10 – Montecasino Boulevard as cyclists come through as part of the first loop
• This will continue on these roads up to 13:45 and until cyclists come up to the finish line on Witkoppen at approximately 14:04

Stage 3: Nelson Mandela Bay to Summer Strand

The start at Nelson Mandela Bay will be spectacular. After the start, much of the race is along quieter roads, however, the next best spots for great viewing on this stage will be:

• 13:45 at Military Road
• 14:00 at Brickmakers Kloof
• 14:20 at the finish opposite the Boardwalk Casino

Stage 4: Bloukrans Bridge to George

The neutral start of Stage 4 will be at the Khoisan Village after which the bunch will make their way to the official start on the Bloukrans Bridge. Majority of the first section of this route will be on the N2 through Natures Valley heading toward Plettenberg Bay.  Once the peloton reach Plettenberg Bay, the best viewing areas for spectators will be:

• The Climb out of Happy Valley
• 11:00 – 11:20 - Circle at Main Street and Marine Drive in Plett
• The climb up Piesang Valley out of Plett
• 12:00 – Hot spot in Knysna – at the Knysna Waterfront and Waterfront Road
• 13:20 – After Sedgefield in Wilderness town centre
• The small Climbs on the Seweweekpoort roads, the main battle for the stage will be on here
• 13:50 – York Street at the PW Technical School for the finish

Stage 5: Oudtshoorn to Barrydale

The main start will be in Voortrekker Street at 10:00 after which cyclists head toward Calitzdorp and the first Hot spot. 

• 11:00 – Calitzdorp town entry
• The Climb of Houwhoek
• 12:10 – Ladismith, Koning Street
• 14:20 – van Riebeeck Street in Barrydale at the finish area

Stage 6: Hermanus to Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch

The start at the Roll of Honour will commence at 10:00 – a great viewing sight. From there, the other major viewing spots would be:

• 12:35 - Franschhoek Huguenot Monument / Town hall
• On the backside of Franschhoek Pass
• 13:20 – Start of old Helshoogte pass heading to the finish and the final HOT spot

Stage 7: Paarl to Paarl (Circuit Stage)

The stage at Paarl will start at 12:00 in Market Street.  Spectators are advised to view in the following areas:

• 12:00 – Market Street for the start
• 12:05 – Between Market street and Bergrivier street
• Lady Grey Street and then of course at the finish which will be in market street at 14:35

For maps of each of the stages please log on to www.tourofsa.co.za

Please be advised that the above times are estimates and could change depending on the race conditions and are served as a guide only.

The South African cycling community is abuzz with excitement at the upcoming Cell C Tour of South Africa which will take top cyclists from South Africa and the rest of the world from Pretoria to Paarl in eight days.

Gauteng will be hosting the start of the inaugural Tour of South Africa on 19 February 2011 and in stage one the cyclists will start at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria, riding past the Union Buildings along the Magalies Ridge west of Pretoria before heading to the picturesque Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COH WHS).

The 120 cyclists will whizz past the iconic Maropeng Visitor Centre and take in the beautiful scenery in the area before finishing at Montecasino in Fourways.

Fana Jiyane, CEO of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site Management Authority, says: “We are delighted to be co-host of this event. We look forward to welcoming the top cyclists from South Africa and the world to the place where humankind began.” The fact that the COH WHS is on this prestigious route is an indication of the popularity of the cycling routes in the area. “We see the tour as another opportunity for Gauteng to showcase the range of activities right on our doorstep,” says Jiyane.

Not only is the Cradle of Humankind easily accessible from Johannesburg, Pretoria and Krugersdorp but the roads offer an ideal training ground for Gauteng cyclists.  In an effort to secure the safety of cyclists on the road, the COH WHS MA, in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, recently created cycling lanes in the area.  

Furthermore, to alleviate frustration and in an effort to avoid residents in the area being inconvenienced, there will be a rolling road closure along the route. This system will mean a few delays with short disruptions instead of complete road closures.  

The disruptions in this area offer motorists the perfect opportunity to get out of their cars and watch the cyclists as they whoosh by.  The estimated times for road restrictions in the Cradle of Humankind will be from approximately 12:30 till 13:10 from the D400/R3 to the R540.

Jiyane continues: “We are committed to growing tourism in the Cradle of Humankind and events like The Cell C Tour of South Africa acknowledge the great cycling facilities in the area and encourage more cyclists to pay us a visit on their morning ride.”

Another drawcard for cyclists is that the area enables them to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a scenic ride, taking in the fresh country air. The roads in the Cradle are buzzing with activity on Saturday and Sundays as more and more people get into the sport.

Not only is this event a fabulous addition to the COH WHS event calendar but will also draw international attention to the extensive range of activities on offer for leisure and business tourists in the area.

For more media information, contact:

Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site:  Kgomotso Phoofolo, +27 (0)11 355 1843, kgomotso.phoofolo@gauteng.gov.za

 Barcelona, Mobile World Congress, 15^th February 2011 – Fastest mobile operator in South Africa Cell C has partnered with network optimisation specialists AIRCOM International to empower its customers to play a direct role in enhancing user experience.  By using AIRCOM’s Customer Experience Monitoring tool, Cell C customers will have the capability to report dropped calls, poor network signal and other issues to the operator directly through a dedicated web page. 

AIRCOM’s customer experience monitoring tool enables Cell C’s mobile users to pinpoint any network issues on a map in order to highlight performance problems in specific areas.  Once these issues are identified and solved by Cell C, it then has the ability to provide direct feedback to the users in question.  This level of direct interaction delivers significant cost reductions by negating the need to contact existing, expensive call centre support facilities while driving customer loyalty, enhancing brand reputation and reducing churn.    

The monitoring system also integrates with other existing AIRCOM tools (eg. ASSET) that Cell C currently has installed in its network and has been using since 2004.  By integrating the monitoring tool with these other AIRCOM products, Cell C can enjoy a complete and comprehensive overview of its radio network, identifying and solving network glitches before they negatively impact user experience.

The Customer Experience Monitoring tool will give engineers access to fault data by location, by time and the type of fault. It will also mean that Cell C’s ongoing rollout of high quality HSPA+ enabled data services can be delivered as a direct result of more detailed network planning.

“We pride ourselves on the high quality user experience we deliver to our customers and remain committed to sustaining this level of service by all means necessary,” said Steve Boiles, Executive Head of Networks Engineering of Cell C.  “By adopting AIRCOM’s Customer Experience Monitoring tool, we are able to provide our customers with yet another line of direct communication back to us.  This will ensure our high standards of customer care continue by enabling us to react to any unforeseen issues our customers experience as quickly as possible.” 

“Increasing demand amongst global mobile operators like Cell C for our Customer Experience Monitoring tool demonstrates their commitment to evolve with the changing needs of mobile consumers,” said Graham Kemp, regional Managing Director, Africa, AIRCOM International.  “Advancing mobile technology continues to bring fresh challenges to operators, encouraging innovation to ensure customer experience evolves in tandem with technology.  Our monitoring tool is an example of this innovation.  It puts mobile users in control and brings new levels of transparency and honesty between operators and their customers, strengthening customer loyalty, enhancing brand value as well as reducing cost and minimising churn.”

 VIRGIN MOBILE SOUTH AFRICA (‘VIRGIN MOBILE’ or “the Company”) today announces that its board has agreed to a shareholders’ restructuring whereby Cell C will sell its 50% stake in VIRGIN MOBILE and Virgin Group of the UK (“Virgin”) will increase its stake from 50% to 55% and Calico Investments of The Bahamas  (“Calico”) will acquire the remaining 45% stake in the Company. 

Calico, an investment company, plans to develop a strategic relationship with VIRGIN MOBILE and together with Virgin, will invest additional growth capital into VIRGIN MOBILE. This will enable VIRGIN MOBILE to offer a wider range of improved products and services to its growing customer base in South Africa.

The transaction is still subject to certain conditions including South African Competition Commission and Exchange Control approvals. Closing is expected by April 2011.

Cell C will continue as VIRGIN MOBILE’s network partner in terms of an updated and expanded network services agreement.

“VIRGIN MOBILE has shown consistent high subscriber growth and has significantly increased its base of higher ARPU (“Average Revenues Per Subscriber”) post pay subscribers in South Africa over the last two years.  It is time for us to capitalise on this growth and bring in an additional shareholder to invest in VIRGIN MOBILE’s further expansion, which will enable us to deliver more exciting products and services to our valued customers.  We also look forward to leveraging our updated network agreement with Cell C to provide improved performance to our customers.” said Steve Bailey, CEO, VIRGIN MOBILE.

“Calico looks forward to working with VIRGIN MOBILE to develop the business through the expansion of its offerings.  VIRGIN MOBILE has shown an ability to differentiate itself from the competition and, with our intended investment, there will now be even more potential to increase the range of quality products and services VIRGIN MOBILE can offer going forward.” said Faisal Al Bannai, a Director of Calico Investments.

“Cell C has been and will continue to be a strong partner of VIRGIN MOBILE. The change in shareholding is part of Cell C’s strategy of providing a platform for growth for MVNOs, backed up by our award-winning HSPA+ 900/2100 network.” said Lars P Reichelt, CEO, Cell C.

Gordon McCallum, Virgin Management Limited CEO, said “Virgin and Cell C have invested substantially to establish VIRGIN MOBILE in the South African market.  It is gratifying to see it now move into this second phase of development as the first fully independent MVNO in South Africa.  With our new shareholder on board and the network services agreement in place with Cell C, we expect VIRGIN MOBILE to grow and deliver what the Virgin brand is renowned for - exceptional value, innovation and customer service.

Consumers can expect to hear lots more from Virgin Mobile this year!

Wednesday, 9 February 2011: Last night marked the start of a whole new world in South African telecommunications - Red Bull MOBILE - an all-inclusive mobile package that is a joint partnership between possibilities provider Cell C and Red Bull.

Red Bull MOBILE is an innovative mobile offering, powered by Cell C’s new generation, superfast HSPA+ 900/2100 network and access to premium Red Bull content on a customised  smartphone.

Says Lars P. Reichelt, CEO of Cell C: “Red Bull is a fantastic match for the Cell C brand and more importantly for our customers.  Red Bull is not only the world leader in energy drinks but its association with cutting edge music, entertainment, art, sports and events means their broad lifestyle-based content links to our vision of enhancing our customers’ lifestyles.  With Cell C’s superfast network and ever increasing coverage, Red Bull MOBILE truly gets wings.”

Available in Cell C franchise stores from 25 February 2011, Red Bull MOBILE gives users free and exclusive access via the Red Bull MOBILE portal to some of the world’s most compelling content:

•    Red Bull TV – with all the latest extreme sports and Red Bull sponsored sports, events and more

•    Free Red Bull downloads – music, photos, wallpapers, games and videos

•     News and updates on Red Bull athletes and teams

•     Local news, weather and sport

•     Entertainment

And last but not least, Red Bull MOBILE customers get exclusive and special invites and first right to tickets for Red Bull events such as Red Bull Racing at the Top Gear Live Festival in March, as well as your personal monthly copy of The Red Bulletin for free.

The exclusive Red Bull MOBILE smartphones will already have a number of free applications pre-loaded, including Red Bull Music Academy Radio and Red Bull X-Fighters.  

There are two very competitive, all-inclusive postpaid contracts to choose from:

Each package offers a choice of two phones. The RBM C, RBM HD and Motorola MB525 are android smartphones and provide an exciting selection of downloads from the Android Market (www.android.com/market). These smartphones are powered by Google's Android operating system, the world’s fastest growing mobile application platform, which means users get access to more than 100,000 applications from the Android Store.

The RBM 100 package costs R149 per month (on a 24-month contract). Users choose either a customized Android smartphone  - the RBM C or the Nokia 5230 - 100 anytime minutes p/m, 50 messages (SMS or MMS) p/m, 250MB of data p/m and a subscription to The Red Bulletin magazine for the duration of their contract. Features of the RBM C mobile phone include:

The RBM C
•    Latest generation mobile Internet technology (HSPA+ 900/2100 compatible)
•    Android functionality
•    A generous 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen
•    SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM capabilities
•    HTML internet browser
•    Bluetooth
•    Wi-Fi
•    FM Radio
•    Built in MP3 and MP4 players
•    Document viewer
•    Voice memo
•    Predictive text
•    Stand-by battery life – up to 400 hours
•    Talk battery life – up to 450 minutes

Or

The Nokia 5230
•    Latest generation mobile Internet technology (GPRS/EDGE/HSPA+)
•    A large and sharp 3.2 inch TFT touchscreen
•    SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM capabilities
•    HTML internet browser
•    Bluetooth
•    USB port
•    2 MP Camera
•    FM Radio
•    GPS
•    Battery Stand-by life – up to 432 hours (both 2G and 3G)
•    Talk battery life – up to 7 hours (2G) and up to 4 hours and 30 minutes (3G)

The RBM 200 package is priced at R249 per month (on a 24-month contract). This top-of-the-range offering gives users the choice of the RBM HD  smartphone or the Motorola MB525,  200 anytime minutes p/m, 100 messages (SMSs and MMSs) p/m, 500 MB of data p/m, and a two-year subscription to The Red Bulletin magazine.  Features of the RBM HD Android smartphone include:

The RBM HD
•    Latest generation mobile Internet technology (HSPA+ 900/2100 compatible).
•    Android capability, allowing for application downloads from www.android.com/market
•    A large and sharp 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen
•    SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM capabilities
•    HTML internet browser
•    Wi-Fi
•    Bluetooth
•    FM Radio
•    Digital compass
•    Google Search
•    Maps
•    Gmail
•    Talk
•    Supports Adobe Flash 10.1 and Geo-tagging
•    Battery stand-by life – up to 380 hours (2G) and up to 440 hours (3G)
•    Talk battery life – up to 500 minutes (2G) and up to 400 minutes (3G)

Or

The Motorola MB525
•    Latest generation mobile Internet technology (GPRS/EDGE/HSPA+)
•    Android functionality
•    3.7 inch TFT touchscreen
•    SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM capabilities
•    HTML internet browser
•    Bluetooth
•    Wi-Fi
•    USB port
•    5 MP Camera
•    FM Radio
•    GPS
•    Battery stand-by life – up to 400 hours
•    Talk battery life – up to 408 minutes

The launch
Highlights of the invite-only launch included A-list entertainment with The Beat Bangaz, Goldfish, Black Coffee and hit international act, Faithless.

With personalities like 5FM’s Poppy Ntshongwana and DJ Euphonik  along with names like Ryan Sandes, Khotso Mokoena and faith47 already on board testing the product, Red Bull MOBILE is set to give you wings!
 

Baldy again

We’ve worked past our last checkpoint, and I’m extremely proud to tell you we have a brand new customer care and billing system.

At the last update we had four things outstanding, and the good news is, we’ve managed to resolve two of those.

We only have two small issues that may cause you some frustration:

1. Almost all the PC’s have been fixed and silent calls are nearly a thing of the past.
2. Call centre agents still can’t send invoices by email, but these are still available from our website. 

Keep blogging, tweeting and Facebooking. Until our next update, thank you very much. 

Bald guy again.

I promised an update, so here goes.

Things are still good. Each hour we’re able to fix more of the minor issues every system upgrade brings. There a couple that you may know about, so here’s an update on them:

The brand new PC’s running in the call centre are playing havoc with the volume settings. A few customers are experiencing silent calls. If you’re one, we’re working on it.

We know we had some trouble changing some of your personal details, like addresses. If it's not urgent, email us and we’ll get to it in a couple of days. Our team is attending to this error and we hope it will be fixed soon.

If you've tried to redeem your airtime voucher a couple of times and now it's locked, we know about it and our IT genius's are tapping at their keyboards!

It seems our call centre agents can't email invoices at the moment. If you're phoning to get a copy of your invoice emailed to you, please bear with us while we fix this small hiccup. By the way, have you tried getting it from our website?

More later. Keep Facebooking and Tweeting.

As a result of our recent system upgrade, we are currently experiencing some issues with regard to Control Chat free and bonus SMSs. 

We are working on resolving the issue and all balances will be reset to the last available balance as of midnight last night.

Cell C would like to thank you for your patience and to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Cell C is in the process of upgrading its IT infrastructure to improve service delivery to you.  

We are currently experiencing some issues with regards to prepaid data recharges and balances.  This is affecting a selected group only and we are working hard at resolving the problem. 

Cell C would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and would like to assure ourcustomers that the issue is receiving our highest priority.

Update:

We are pleased to confirm that the data balances have been reset.We are working on resolving the issues around airtime and SMS bundles.

 New MyTools account mashes web with mobile to deliver innovative new customer services

At a Silicon Cape event in Cape Town last night, Cell C announced the Beta launch of its new MyTools service – a world first introduction of web 2.0 telephony services from an MNO. Available to Cell C customers only, MyTools delivers a mash-up of Mobile telephony and the Internet to give its users a unique range of new services.

A cloud-based service, MyTools will for the first time, give customers full control of their mobile services. Using MyTools, customers will now be able to control how their calls and messages are handled and share them with friends via email or through social media sites such as Facebook. Customers will even be able to receive and forward voicemails via e-mail.

Part of Cell C's strategy to transform mobile services into a brand new experience, MyTools entrenches the company's position as an innovation leader in South Africa. Developed by fonYou, a global technology company based in Barcelona, the MyTools service is accessible through the internet, mobile phone browsers, smartphones and Facebook applications.

"In 2010 alone South Africa increased its Facebook user base by 1 million people. Today 3.4 million South Africans have a Facebook profile. With numbers of this magnitude it is vital that mobile technology transforms to give customers the best experience possible and MyTools does just that," said Lars P. Reichelt CEO of Cell C.

"It's Cell C's first step into mobile 2.0 - an exciting new product that provides our customers with the best and most advanced mobile services and technology in the world. I have no doubt that through this bespoke platform, Cell C users will be able to revolutionize the way they communicate. It is Beta for now and there are many more add-ons and improvements happening in the next couple of months. But already now it is fun to use and has loads of potential."

To use this service, Cell C customers need to sign-up on an online VIP list on the Cell C website for "MyTools" (www.cellc.co.za/mytools), at no extra cost. MyTools will be launched as a Beta service and customers are encouraged to send their feedback, which will be used to improve the product.  

Customers will be able to use the application on their personal computers and laptops to manage their calls and their contacts just as they would with their e-mail service. Users will also be able to filter calls intelligently, create personalised voicemail messages per contact, use a voicemail box, as well as maintain an interaction register of all calls and SMS's.

Cell C runs South Africa's most advanced network in 13 cities across the country. "We remain fully committed to providing affordable, fast and world-class internet access to all South Africans.  We are working around the clock to bring "whoosh" to 67% of South Africa's population by mid-year," said Reichelt.

Cell C is ranked the number one internet service provider (ISP) in South Africa by Ookla, the global leader in broadband speed testing and offers South Africa's most affordable internet.

 Johannesburg, 20^th January 2011– Tour of South Africa organisers today announced that Cell C will be the Title Sponsor of the inaugural Tour of South Africa, the international professional cycle race which will take place in February this year.  This much anticipated event which will be known as The Cell C Tour of South Africa 2011 isa UCI sanctioned 2.2 category, 8 day, 7 stage road race will start in Pretoria and finish in Paarl, with cyclists riding over 1200km in total.

The announcement represents a further boost for one of the fastest growing sports in the country and complements the synergy between the two brands.  The deal will see Cell C as the naming rights holder of the biggest pro cycling road event in South Africa and one which will form part of the global cycling calendar.

“Having a major brand like Cell C as our Title Sponsor is what the Tour of South Africa deserves. A major brand for a major cycling event!  We are delighted that they have come on board and look forward to staging a successful international event” said Barry Mocke, CEO Cycling South Africa.

Cell C have never sponsored a sporting event on a national scale as the focus has always been community based.   As part of its recent re-launch, the team was looking for something new, innovative and on a national level – but something which still benefits the community.

“The timing was perfect.  We were looking for something on a national level that aligns to our new strategy and that will appeal to our wide customer base. It is all about speed and offering a world-class experience.  The potential that exists between the brands is remarkable – we could not decline the opportunity,” says Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing.

Cell C recently launched South Africa’s most advanced network in 13 cities across the country. “We remain fully committed to providing affordable, fast and world-class internet access to all South Africans, whether they live in a city or a rural environment.  We are working around the clock to bring “whoosh” to 97% of South Africa’s population by the end of the year,” adds Camerer. 

Cell C is ranked the number one internet service provider in South Africa by Ookla, the global leader in broadband speed testing.

The association of Cell C with international bodies such as the UCI, through its sanctioning of The Cell C Tour of South Africa and the international teams that will be participating, also adds to the stature of the brand and takes it to a new level. 

“2010 was a big year for the country and with no world cup events happening in South Africa this year, this is the closest we, as a country, will get to ignite our national pride once again.

“We have a large number of customers who enjoy, and participate, in cycling and the growth of the sport is phenomenal.  It’s important for us to support what our customers do, and one way to do that is through sport sponsorship.” Camerer concluded.

The route for The Cell C Tour of South Africa has been revised recently and will now pass through the following areas:

Stage 1

Saturday 19 February: 167km – Menlyn to Monte Casino- The first race day will start in Menlyn, passing the Union Buildings before heading north and turning west behind the Magaliesberg ridges west of Pretoria. The race travels west through the tunnel at Hartebeespoort Dam to the Cradle of Humankind passing Maropeng before heading to the Fourways area for the finish.

Stage 2

Sunday 20 February: 156km – Monte Casino to Monte Casino– a circuit route incorporating Soweto, Soccer City, Sandton and the Johannesburg CBD.

Stage 3

Tuesday 22 February: 173km – Port Elizabeth to Port Elizabeth– Starting at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, stage 3 heads towards the Addo Elephant National Park where one is sure to catch a few glimpses of wildlife (it is home to the Big Seven). From there the race returns to Port Elizabeth, where the route takes an interesting turn, with a city circuit, before finishing in Summer Strand on the beach front.

Stage 4

Wednesday 23 February: 153km – Bloukrans Bridge to George- Stage 4 starts on the famous Bloukrans Bridge where many bungi jump enthusiasts are sure to be found. We head from there to Natures Valley and out on the climb towards the N2. Then on to Plettenberg Bay where we include a local loop before another climb out and back on the N2 passing through Knysna. At Wilderness the race leaves the N2 and heads over 3 passes of narrow twisty roads before finishing in George.

Stage 5

Thursday 24 February: 210km – Oudtshoorn to Swellendam- The stage starts in Oudtshoorn and heads on to the famous Route 62 passing Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Barrydale and Suurbraak before finishing in Swellendam.

Stage 6

Friday 25 February: 180km – Hermanus to Stellenbosch - The penultimate stage starts in Hermanus and winds its way through Gordons Bay over Sir Lowry’s Pass into Grabouw, to Threewaterskloof Dam and up Franschhoek pass. A speedy descent follows. After passing through Franschhoek the race will head over Helshoogte Pass onto the finish in Stellenbosch.

Stage 7

Saturday 26 February: 100km – Paarl to Paarl - Cycling through South Africa’s 3^rd oldest town, cyclists will enjoy scenic views and historic buildings.  A 10km circuit stage which will pass through the main streets of Paarl and Klein-Drakenstein finishing in Market Street.

Here they are. TechCentral’s top-five newsmakers of 2010. TC's “Newsmakers of the Year” award is presented to individuals they believe had the biggest impact on SA’s technology sector in the past 12 months. For the most part, they’re also the the people who made the headlines in 2010.

And look who made the #1 spot: our very own Lars P. Reichelt

Click here to read the full story.

As an early Christmas present to all their prepaid customers, Cell C has launched Woza Double, an enhancement to its popular Woza Wheneva, which now offers double the free minutes a person would normally get when they recharge with R10 or more.

“For every Rand you use to recharge, you receive the airtime paid for and double the number of free Woza minutes which you can use any time during the week. Free Woza minutes can be used all week, Monday to Sunday, so recharge early and take advantage of the free minutes anytime during the week,” says Cell C Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer.

This promotion  applies to all recharge denominations of R10 or more with customers able to get up to 100 free Woza minutes per week. More good news is that the customer will also benefit from cumulative recharges. That is, if a customer recharges with R5 on Monday and then another R5 on Tuesday in the same week, he will get the 20 extra free minutes after he recharges with the second R5 as the total is now R10, which is the minimum requirement.

“We want this promotion to be available to all our prepaid customers so with this in mind, we have structured the promotion with a low minimum recharge, which is only a third of what our competition is asking for in similar offers. We also want our prepaid customers to be able to use their free Woza minutes when it suits them, that’s why they’re not valid for just a day or two, but can be used all through the week,” commented Camerer.

The Woza Double promotionwill run from the 1^st of December to the 15^th of January 2011 and is available to Cell C prepaid customers but excludes LCR (Least Cost Routing) and CST (Community Service Telephone) lines.

What is it?

Get selected DStv channels on your DVB-H enabled cellphone with DStv Mobile.  The broadcast mobile TV service is now available to all Cell C customers who have a DVB-H enabled cellphone. Watch as much TV as you want via the DVB-H signal and no additional data costs apply.

 DStv Mobile, anywhere, anytime.

Why should I use this service?

• Subscription costs are included in the cost of the device until 31 March 2011 so there are no extra costs to you.
• 7 great DStv channels and 2 e.mobile channels
• 24 hour entertainment for anyone, anywhere, any time

 What’s on DStv Mobile?

The DStv Mobile subscription includes the following TV channels:

Africa Magic, Channel O, Trace TV, eNews, SuperSport Blitz , SuperSport 1, SuperSport 2, SuperSport 3, Cartoon Network

How do I get this service?

You must have a DVB-H enabled phone to access this service. Current DVB-H enabled cellphones are the Nokia N96 and Nokia 5330.

To subscribe on the Nokia 5330:

• Go to main menu
• Select 'Mobile TV'
• Select 'Purchase'
• Select 'Channel Packages'
• Select 'DStv Mobile' Channel Package
• Accept the Terms and Conditions
• Select 'Purchase'
• Select 'OK'
• The purchase request will be sent through
• Your phone will receive the 'Rights Objects'
• You will be presented with a list of current available channels that you can watch.

To subscribe on the Nokia N96:

• Go to main menu
• Select 'Applications'
• Select 'Media'
• Select 'Live TV'
• Select 'DStv Mobile' bouquet
• The phone will display the following message "No usage rights.  Select 'Subscription' from the 'Options' menu to subscribe.
• Select 'Options'
• Select 'Subscriptions'
• Select 'Channels Packages’
• Select 'Continuous'
• Select 'Verify'
• Select 'OK'
• The rights objects will be sent to your phone

You will be presented with a list of current available channels that you can watch.

You may unsubscribe at any stage through the application menu.

How much does it cost?

Subscription costs are included in the cost of the device until 31 March 2011 so there are no extra costs to you. 

From 01 April 2011, the service will cost R9 per week or R36 per month.

For more information, go to www.dstvmobile.com or dial 011 289 2222 and choose the DStv Mobile option to speak to a professional call centre agent. You can also visit your nearest Cell C dealer for more information. 

Join us at the  Cell C SPEED EXPERIENCE© family fun day and aerobatics display – it’s FREE!

10:30 to 16:00, Sunday, 28 November 2010

Rand Airport, Germiston

 

 

We found a funny cartoon created and submitted by a MyBroadBand.co.za user...

A spate of positive press devoted to Cell C proves that the cellular operator intends to make good on its promise of upping its customer service game. After winning the award for Best Mobile Broadband Service from MyBroadband.co.za, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) recently revealed that Cell C’s network performed best during the World Cup.

Now Cell C is in the news again. According to MyBroadband.co.za, the latest statistics from popular consumer activist website, HelloPeter, indicate that Cell C is the telecoms provider with the best service levels all around. For the purpose of their report HelloPeter compared the compliment/complaint ratio of all the country’s telecoms operators. Over the past month the website attracted 23 219 user responses, the vast majority of which (90%) were complaints. Cell C was ranked first, followed by Vodacom and then Telkom.

For an overview of the best and worst telecoms companies according to the HelloPeter compliment/complaints ratio of reports accumulated over the last 12 months, click here to read the full story.

Cell C’s superfast and highly affordable new HSPA+ 900/2100 network goes live in Johannesburg and Pretoria!
  
Lars P. Reichelt, CEO of Cell C and Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia Siemens Networks, have given the green light for the switching on of Cell C’s award-winning HSPA+ 900/2100 network in Johannesburg and Pretoria.  The much anticipated launch of Cell C’s HSPA+ 900/2100 network in the economic hub of the African continent brings world-class speed and world-class pricing, with customers paying as little as R0.03c per MB for data at average download speeds of between 4 – 7 Mbps and average upload speeds of between 2 – 3 Mbps.

“Johannesburg and Pretoria are difficult to cover and we needed to make sure that our network was tried and tested and ready for our customers before we pushed the button,” commented Reichelt.  “Since we started rolling out our new network across the country, we have been inundated with queries from Gauteng residents, wanting to know when we would be going live in this part of the country.  I am happy to say that ‘speedcover’ is now attainable and the days of slow, unreliable and expensive internet are officially over!”

The launch of Cell C’s HSPA+ network in the economic hub of Africa brings world-class speed and world-class pricing

Cell C’s new network will initially cover 62% of the population in the greater Johannesburg and Pretoria region, with 89% population coverage of the area planned by the end of January 2011. 

In parallel to the launch in Jozi and Pretoria, Cell C also officially opened its new HSPA+ network nationwide for all existing Cell C customers. “Cell C customers that have UMTS 900 capable mobile phones or USB data sticks can now use Cell C’s superfast data connection and will experience much better voice call quality.” Details as to which handsets and devices support the new network can be found on Cell C’s website.

With the launch of its HSPA+ 900/2100 network Cell C also launched two unprecedented contract data offers, offering customers 2GB/month at R149 and 5GB/month at R289. In addition Cell C now also offers data bundles across its entire range of prepaid, ControlChat and postpaid packages:

Postpaid data customers who require more data, can also purchase the 2GB data bundle priced at R400 per month, with an in-bundle/out-of-bundle rate of 20c per MB.

Sales of speedsticks, contract packages and the new data bundles start on Friday, 19 November 2010 and will be available in 28 Cell C outlets in Johannesburg and Pretoria, as well as Game, Makro and Dion Wired, Autopage, Nashua Mobile and selected CNA stores.  Products are also available at these outlets in other cities where Cell C has launched its new network.

“Now that our network is live in Johannesburg and Pretoria, we are well on our way to reach our target of 34% population coverage in South Africa by the end of 2010,” added Reichelt.  “We are fully committed to providing affordable and fast internet access to all South Africans, whether they live in a city or a rural environment.  We are working around the clock to cover 97% of South Africa’s population with HSPA+ 900/2100 by the end of 2011.” 

Reichelt reiterated his view that South Africans should take advantage of what is arguably the most significant development in local Telecoms industry history. “This network infrastructure brings with it a myriad of development possibilities and represents the first real opportunity for a much larger subset of South Africans to harvest the potential of the internet, as a source of information, to grow a business, to offer a service, to further their careers or simply to communicate with friends and loved ones.”

As part of its Johannesburg and Pretoria launches, Cell C also donated internet connectivity to two local schools.  Immaculata Secondary School in Soweto and Mamelodi Secondary School in Mamelodi each received a modem, 60GB data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

In Media news this morning, according to a report by Icasa, Cell C's network performed the best at 2010 World Cup stadiums, followed by MTN and Vodacom;

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) recently released its 2010 FIFA World Cup Quality of Service (QoS) Report which provides an analysis of the quality of service at the World Cup stadiums. According to the report, Cell C's network performed the best at 2010 World Cup stadiums, followed by MTN and Vodacom.

 Cell C, Internet Solutions and Convergence Partners working together to unlock SA’s broadband potential

FibreCo Telecommunications (“FibreCo”), a partnership between Cell C, Internet Solutions and Convergence Partners, announced today that it will be developing an open-access long-haul terrestrial fibre optic broadband network as an answer to the need for national transmission infrastructure to meet the nation’s aspirations for world-class broadband connectivity.

FibreCo brings the ability to fund, deploy and manage a cost-effective high speed long-haul fibre network which will support the explosive growth in bandwidth requirements of the country anticipated over the coming years.

Construction of the network will follow a three-phase approach and ultimately will cover a total distance in excess of 12,000km. The initial phase will focus on rolling out a 4,500km redundant core ring linking Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban to international cable landing stations within two years.

Cell C’s extensive national wireless network will provide the platform for the co-location of optical transmission equipment at their base stations as well as wireless access solutions for FibreCo’s customers. Through Internet Solutions, FibreCo has access to deep capabilities in the delivery of value-added networking solutions into the enterprise market, including facilities for the hosting of its customers optical termination equipment in urban centres.

Convergence Partners contributes unmatched expertise in the development and financial structuring of large scale telecommunications infrastructure projects.

FibreCo is building a state-of-the-art managed network to deliver the most efficient route combinations and services to its customers, through the deployment of its own fibre optic cable and related infrastructure, as well as through partnerships or strategic alliances with other infrastructure providers wherever appropriate.

Boston, Massachusetts and Johannesburg, South Africa – November 5, 2010:  American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT) and Cell C (Pty) Limited today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of up to 1,400 of Cell C’s existing towers, and up to 1,800 additional towers that are either under construction or will be constructed over the approximately next two years, for an aggregate purchase price of up to approximately $430 million.  Cell C will be the anchor tenant on each of the towers being purchased.  American Tower and Cell C expect to close the sale of the existing towers by early 2011, subject to customary closing conditions.

“We are pleased to announce the launch of our operations in South Africa, as well as the opportunity to work with Cell C,” said Jim Taiclet, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of American Tower. “We believe South Africa provides a compelling investment opportunity for us, with strong demand for voice and advanced wireless data services.  In addition, our newly established presence in South Africa will provide us with a platform for our future growth in the region.”

Lars Reichelt, Chief Executive Officer of Cell C commented, “This is an important strategic transaction for Cell C, allowing us to realize the value embedded in our passive infrastructure, which has undergone a significant transformation over the past few years.   We believe our relationship with American Tower will enable us to further enhance the quality and coverage of our network.”

About American Tower
American Tower is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of broadcast and wireless communications sites.  American Tower currently owns and operates approximately 33,000 communications sites in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Mexico and Peru.  For more information about American Tower, please visit www.americantower.com.

About Cell C
Launched in 2001, Cell C is South Africa's third cellular operator with more than seven million subscribers.For more information about Cell C, please visit www.cellc.co.za.

Cell C has launched its new high-speed network in the heart of the Limpopo province, following a successful launch in Nelspruit earlier this week. Polokwane residents can now enjoy download speeds averaging 6-9 Mbps – up to three times faster than Cell C’s traditional rivals – whilst also benefiting from world-class cellular network reception.

“Our network in Polokwane will cover 67% of the population as of today, but will be increased to 98% by January 2011,”  commented Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer.   “As the largest commercial and residential city in the north of the country, Polokwane proved its mettle as a host city during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and we are confident that the presence of world-class IT infrastructure will only add to the attractiveness of the city as an investment and tourist destination.”

As part of its Polokwane launch, Cell C also donated a modem to Bokamoso Senior Secondary School in Seshego to provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.


 

After switching on its new network in George two weeks ago, the Cell C roadshow has headed north to Nelspruit.  The Mpumalanga capital will now also receive the gift of fast, highly-affordable internet access and world-class cellular network reception.

“Our network in Nelspruit will cover 82% of the population as of today, but will be increased to 93% of the city population and surrounding areas by end of January 2011.”  commented Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing, Simon Camerer.   “Nelspruit is one of South Africa’s most thriving economies and a recognised tourist destination.  We are delighted to be able to offer the fastest commercial wireless internet service to this beautiful and vibrant part of the country.”   

Cell C was recently awarded the 2010 Mobile Broadband Service of the Year award at the annual MyBroadband Conference.

In addition, as of Monday, 25 October 2010, Cell C is ranked the No. 1 internet service provider in South Africa on Ookla's Netindex with average download speeds of 5.52 Mbps.

“We have had a tremendous response to our new network in each city we have launched in,” added Camerer.  “The industry has also voiced its approval for our new network through various awards and accolades and we thus take great pride in being able to offer this service to the people of Nelspruit.”

In real-use conditions, Cell C’s new HSPA+ network shows average speeds of between 6-8 Mbps in downloads and speeds of between 2-3 Mbps for uploads in Nelspruit.

As part of its Nelspruit launch, Cell C also donated a modem to Valencia Combined School to provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

At the annual MyBroadband Conference held at Vodaworld on Wednesday, Cell C was awarded the 2010 Mobile Broadband Service of the Year award for its new HSPA+ 900/2100 network, due to be launched in Johannesburg and Pretoria in mid-November. Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt received the award from Rudolph Muller, the founder of mybroadband.co.za.

The awards which are based on two surveys completed by more than 1900 participants also saw 48% of consumers voting Cell C as “the broadband provider which did the most in 2010 to improve the state of broadband in South Africa”.    Cell C's pricing for its launch offer has also been deemed "the best ever broadband pricing in SA" as the company slashed mobile broadband prices from “the usual R200 per GB to as low as R33 per GB”.  

All this comes at a time when Cell C has been confirmed as the fastest ISP (Internet Service Provider) in South Africa according to Netindex from Ookla.
 

Avid Sex & the City fan and WINC Women in New York City winner, Nokulunga Busisiwe Zulu is back from her seven-day trip to the big Apple, and wrote to Cell C to express her gratitude in this very heartfelt letter:

Dearest Cell C,

Every time I start this letter I find myself stuck. This is the 5^th attempt and it’s way over due.

I can’t begin to explain what the New York trip has brought to my life. You gave me an opportunity to show the people who mean the most to me how much I love and appreciate them in a way I could have never dreamed of doing in my lifetime. The experience for me was absolutely life changing. I am a different woman, I have international travel experienceJ I don’t know if you know what that means for me. I feel so empowered, I can do anything and go anywhere.

New York was a dream. The anticipation as we left O.R Tambo International. Being ushered through to Business Class on flight. We were treated like royalty. Arriving at JFK and having limousines waiting to transport us to the hotel. Seeing the city unfold I felt I was not really there and was watching myself from somewhere outside my body. The hotel was beautiful, the organised tours were as if specifically designed for us. Dinner at Nobu was an experience on its own.  The Hard Rock Cafe’ was so full of history and beautiful and fun. Mama Mia was exquisite, we all enjoyed it and were singing along to every song. My 60 year old mother, 52 year old aunt, my friend Nokwazi who’s 34 and myself. Four generations of woman having a good time.  The Sex and the City Tour was something else. Seeing all the places the girls had been, that I’ve seen on the series and the movie was super amazing.

As I said it’s really hard to put into words what I feel. You made the trip about us. It was a personal experience and really felt like a gift. I can’t thank you enough. I am the best daughter my mother  could dream of, my Aunt thinks I’m a gift and I am the best friend a girl can have. All because of Cell C.

Thank you so much Cell C and believe I am with you for life.

Lunga

Cell C's big red button has moved down the coast this week and landed at the picturesque town of George in the Western Cape. 

Last week, the Cell C roadshow went to Durban and Pietermaritzburg but this week it is the turn of George to receive the gift of fast, highly affordable internet access and world-class cellular network reception.

"Our network in George currently covers 89% of the population and will offer residents of this beautiful town a very reliable service despite the topography of the area," commented Cell C's Executive Head of Sales and Distribution, Sue Kennedy. "We expect to be the fastest commercial internet service provider in George, and certainly the most affordable."   The second phase of the rollout, to be completed by January 2011, will provide 100% population coverage in George and surrounding areas.

We expect to be the fastest commercial internet service provider in George, and certainly the most affordable

Currently, Cell is the fastest wireless ISP (Internet Service Provider) in Port Elizabeth following the launch of its new network nearly a month ago, according to broadband speed analysis tool Speedtest.net.  Cell C tops the list of service providers in Port Elizabeth with connection speeds averaging 5.26 Mbps, more than double those of its traditional wireless rivals. 

"We trust that towns like George will capitalise on the myriad of opportunities offered by our world-class network," added Kennedy.  "The introduction of such a network to a town with a high population but limited local employment should be welcomed as affordable internet access can be capitalised on by local entrepreneurs, for example.  George and its surrounds have always attracted a large number of tourists and entrepreneurs working in this sector now have a more affordable means to sell their product or service to a local or global audience."

In real-use conditions Cell C's new HSPA+ network shows average speeds of between 5-6 Mbps in downloads and speeds of between 1-2 Mbps for uploads, with a maximum technical throughput of 21 Mbps in George. 

As part of its George launch, Cell C also donated a modem to Imizamo Yethu Secondary School to provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

Cell C has already launched its high-speed network in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, East London, Cape Town, Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

The results of a survey released today show that, when it comes to speed, it’s hard to beat Cell C’s supersonic new HSPA+ network, which is currently being rolled out across major cities in South Africa.

The 2010 Broadband Survey, conducted by well-respected news site MyBroadband, found that Cell C offers the highest local download and upload speeds, clocking in at 7.21 Mbps and 2.01 Mbps respectively. Cell C’s local download speeds were on average 20% faster than the second-ranked broadband offering, and the upload speeds were 300% faster.

The survey found that Cell C offers the highest local download and upload speeds, as well as the fastest upload speed internationally

In addition, Cell C achieved an international download speed of 2.47 Mbps (third place overall) and an upload speed of 1.03 Mbps (first place overall).

A total of 1908 participants were asked to rate their broadband service according to a variety of criteria including support, service levels and overall satisfaction, as well as complete 2 web-based speed tests to record their speeds.  These tests used the Speedtest.net servers.

For the full story as well as an overview of the results of the 2010 Broadband Survey click here.

October 12  — Cell C (Pty) Limited (“Cell C”) today announced the final results of its offer to purchase for cash (the “Offer”) any and all of its outstanding €400,000,000 8⁵/₈% First Priority Senior Secured Notes due 2012 (the “Notes”) (Reg S ISIN: XS0223890251; 144A ISIN: XS0223890418) from each holder of Notes (the “Holders”) and solicitation of consents (“the Consent Solicitation”) to certain amendments to the indenture governing the Notes.

As of 5:00 p.m., CET, on October 8, 2010 (the “Expiration Date”), €213,585,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes have been validly tendered in the Offer and Holders of an additional €4,136,000 of Notes have validly delivered their Consents (without tendering Notes in the Offer) as part of the Consent Solicitation. Cell C has obtained the required consents to amend the indenture (exceeding 80% of the Notes deemed outstanding for purposes of the indenture) and, therefore, it executed a supplemental indenture, which will become effective on the Settlement Date (which Cell C expects to be no later than October 14, 2010). Among other things, Cell C will be able to effect a redemption of any Notes not tendered in the Offer (except for Notes held by its affiliates) on five days notice to Holders.

Subject to the applicable offer restrictions, Cell C has accepted for payment all the Notes tendered and consents delivered pursuant to the Offer and Consent Solicitation.  As a result, (a) Holders of Notes who validly tendered, and did not validly withdraw their Notes, at or prior to the Early Deadline will receive the Early Consideration of €1,029.06 per €1,000 principal amount; (b) Holders who validly tendered their Notes after the Early Deadline, but at or prior to the Expiration Date will receive the Late Consideration of €1,021.56 per €1,000 principal amount; and (c) Holders who validly delivered their consent at or prior to the Early Deadline without tendering their Notes will receive the Consent Consideration of €2.50 per 1,000 principal amount only.  Holders of tendered Notes will also receive accrued and unpaid interest from (and including) the immediately preceding interest payment date up to (but excluding) the Settlement Date.

Full terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation are set out in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation.

THE DEALER MANAGERS FOR THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION:

Citigroup Global Markets Limited Citigroup Centre
33 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LB
United Kingdom
Attention: Liability Management Group

For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7986 8969
For Information by Email Contact: liabilitymanagement.europe@citi.com

ING Bank N.V., London branch
60 London Wall
London EC2M 5TQ
United Kingdom
Attention: Global Debt Syndicate

For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7767 5107
For Information by Email Contact: debt.syndicate@uk.ing.com

THE TENDER AND TABULATION AGENT FOR THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION:

Citibank, N.A.
Citigroup Centre
33 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LB
United Kingdom
Attention: Exchange Team

For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7508 3867
For Information by Facsimile Contact: +44 20 3320 2405
For Information by Email Contact: exchange.gats@citi.com

This announcement is not an offer to purchase any Notes or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Offer is not being made to any person resident or located in Italy. Certain restrictions in connection with the Offer apply in Belgium, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Cell C intends to appeal a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on the use of its 4G^s logo.  

The ASA yesterday ruled that Cell C should stop using the term 4G^s in its advertising material following complaints by both Vodacom and MTN. Cell C is naturally disappointed by the ruling especially as the ASA did not appear to take into account Cell C’s full and extensive responses to the Vodacom and MTN complaints.

“We will appeal the ruling because we believe that this amounts to corporate bullying,” commented Cell C’s CEO Lars Reichelt.  “It is Cell C’s view that MTN and Vodacom lodged these complaints in an attempt to distract Cell C which has recently established a major competitive advantage in the marketplace. The network Cell C has already rolled out in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, East London, Cape Town and as of yesterday in Durban and Pietermaritzburg is technologically superior, the speeds are demonstrably and consistently higher, the service experience is better with lower latency,  and the customer experience in our stores is distinctly fresh and overall perceived as better by customers. In addition, we offer the best broadband pricing in South Africa, according to a comparison published on mybroadband.co.za, with 2GB available for as little as R83 per month.”

“We use the term ‘4G^s’ to describe not only our new network, but our overall value proposition, i.e. 4 Great Speed and 4 Great Service and the 4GS logo forms part of our advertising campaign,” added Reichelt. “We have made it very clear on many occasions that our network is an HSPA+ 900 based network using Multi Standard Radio, running under Release 7. We can also clearly demonstrate that Cell C provides superior performance in terms of download and upload performance, with our new network already listed as the number one service provider in Port Elizabeth on Speedtest.net, the global leader in broadband speed testing and web-based network diagnostic applications.  In addition and contrary to operators overseas, eg. Telia Sonera, Telenor, clearwire, Sprint, we are not claiming to have a 4G network. Our view is that the public understands very well that Cell C is now the speed and price leader in SA."

Cell C rolls out SA’s “best ever broadband pricing” and supersonic surfing in Durban and Pietermaritzburg following successful launches in PE, Bloemfontein, East London and Cape Town

With Customer Experience Officer, Trevor Noah watching ‘like a hawk’, Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt today pressed a large red button symbolizing the commencement of Cell C’s HSPA+ network in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. With customers paying as little as R83 for 2GB per month for unparalleled high-speed internet access, Cell C’s new network is the most advanced on the African continent. 

“Our new network today covers around 98% and 93% of the city population of Durban and Pietermaritzburg respectively, and by January 2011 will cover 99% of both cities and their surrounding areas,” commented Reichelt. 

“As South Africa’s third largest city and the largest port on the eastern African seaboard, the start of our network in Durban is a boon for business and private customers alike.  The capital of the KwaZulu-Natal province, Pietermaritzburg is now also able to benefit from our new network, which keeps more Rands in the pockets of consumers and creates a myriad of economic opportunities through very fast and very affordable access to the internet.”

In real use conditions Cell C’s new HSPA+ network shows average speeds of between 6-7Mbps in downloads and speeds of between 1.5-2.5 Mbps for uploads, with a maximum technical throughput of 21Mbps in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. 

As part of its Durban and Pietermaritzburg launches, Cell C also donated internet connectivity to two local schools.  Ogwini Comprehensive Secondary School based in Umlazi and Silver Heights Secondary School in Northdale, Pietermaritzburg each received a modem, monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

Hot on the heels of Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and East London, the power is now in the hands of Capetonians as Cell C launches its brand new state-of-the-art HSPA+ network – with average speeds of between 4-7 Mbps for as little as R83 per month!

Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt today ‘switched on’ Cape Town as part of Cell C’s national HSPA+ 900 network rollout.  The Cape Town launch follows highly successful launches in Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and East London and represents the biggest city to date, to be included in Cell C’s new network rollout.

Cape Town is a world-class city that now also has world-class wireless data speeds at world-class prices

“Cell C’s HSPA+ network has come to the Mother City covering 94% of the population with average speeds of between 4-7 Mbps and the best broadband pricing in South Africa!” commented Reichelt, who described the Cape Town launch as the most challenging step in the company’s network rollout plans thus far.  “Cape Town is undoubtedly South Africa’s most iconic city and a world class city that, from today, also has world-class wireless data speeds and world-class prices.”
 
Reichelt said the first phase provides speed cover “from Simon’s Town to Gordons Bay, from Bloubergstrand to Kraaifontein, from Green Point to Hout Bay, i.e. roundabout 94% of Cape Town’s population”.  The second phase, expected to be completed by the end of 2010, will provide 100% population coverage in the city and surrounding areas.  
 
“Cape Town is a leading commercial city, not only from a South African perspective, but from an international perspective,” commented Reichelt.  “The fact that Cell C can now offer a world-class wireless network infrastructure just adds to its attractiveness as a leading destination and location.”
 
The high-speed network uses world-leading Multi Standard Radio (MSR) technology to support the HSPA+ 900 MHz network, offering data speeds capable of up to 21.6 Mbps.  Reichelt underlined that the lower frequency of 900 MHz compared to 2100 MHz provides for much deeper and wider coverage, resulting in a better user experience, higher speeds at the cell edge and enhanced in-door coverage.
 
“Cell C is the only operator in South Africa to utilise both the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands.  While HSPA+ 900 delivers area coverage, HSPA+ 2100 delivers capacity where needed.
 
As part of its city launch, Cell C also donated a modem to Woodlands High School in Cape Townto provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

 

East London today became the third city in South Africa to be connected to Cell C’s new high-speed HSPA+ network.

Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing said the first phase of East London’s network rollout was complete with around 81% of the city’s population covered. The second phase, expected to be completed by the end of 2010, will provide around 100% population coverage in the city and surrounding areas.

Camerer said data speed averages of between 4 and 7 Mbps were achieved in East London, with many locations in excess of 10Mbps.

As part of its city launch, Cell C also donated a modem to Nompumelelo Primary School in East London to provide the school with faster internet connection. The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and wireless router to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

September 27 — Cell C (Pty) Limited (“Cell C”) today announced the results, as of September 24, of its offer to purchase for cash (the “Offer”) any and all of its outstanding €400,000,000 8⁵⁄₈% First Priority Senior Secured Notes due 2012 (the “Notes”) (Reg S ISIN: XS0223890251; 144A ISIN: XS0223890418) from each holder of Notes (the “Holders”) and solicitation of consents (“the Consent Solicitation”) to certain amendments to the indenture governing the Notes (the “Proposed Amendments”).
 

As of 5:00 p.m., CET, on September 24, 2010 (the “Early Deadline”), €210,411,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes have been validly tendered in the Offer and Holders of an additional €4,136,000 of Notes have validly delivered their Consents (without tendering Notes in the Offer) as part of the Consent Solicitation. As a result, the Requisite Consents required to implement the Proposed Amendments have been obtained (exceeding 78% of the Notes deemed outstanding for purposes of the indenture). Among other things, Cell C will be able to effect a redemption of any Notes not tendered in the Offer (except for Notes held by its affiliates) on five days’ notice to Holders.
 

Subject to the terms and conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation dated September 10, 2010 (the “Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation”), Holders of Notes who validly tendered and did not validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Early Deadline and whose Notes are accepted for purchase will be eligible to receive the Early Consideration of €1,029.06 per €1,000 principal amount. Holders who validly delivered their consent at or prior to the Early Deadline without tendering their Notes will be entitled to receive the Consent Consideration of €2.50 per 1,000 principal amount only.
 

Holders may continue to tender Notes in the Offer prior to 5:00 p.m., CET, on October 8, 2010, unless extended or earlier terminated (the “Expiration Date”). Holders who validly tender their Notes after the Early Deadline, but at or prior to the Expiration Date and whose Notes are accepted for purchase will be eligible to receive the Late Consideration of €1,021.56 per €1,000 principal amount. Holders of tendered Notes accepted for payment will also be entitled to receive accrued and unpaid interest from (and including) the immediately preceding interest payment date up to (but excluding) the Settlement Date (which Cell C expects to be no later than October 14, 2010). The right to withdraw tendered Notes and delivered consents terminated at the Early Deadline.
 

Full terms of the Offer and Consent Solicitation are set out in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation. Capitalized terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meanings ascribed to them in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation are available from the Tender and Tabulation Agent, which can be contacted at the e-mail address and telephone number set out below. Holders may also contact the Dealer Managers at the e-mail addresses and telephone numbers set out below for information concerning the Offer and the Consent Solicitation.
 

THE DEALER MANAGERS FOR THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION:

Citigroup Global Markets Limited
Citigroup Centre
33 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LB
United Kingdom
Attention: Liability Management Group
For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7986 8969
For Information by Email Contact: liabilitymanagement.europe@citi.com  

ING Bank N.V., London branch
60 London Wall
London EC2M 5TQ
United Kingdom
Attention: Global Debt Syndicate
For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7767 5107
For Information by Email Contact: debt.syndicate@uk.ing.com


THE TENDER AND TABULATION AGENT FOR THE OFFER AND CONSENT SOLICITATION:

Citibank, N.A.
Citigroup Centre
33 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London E14 5LB
United Kingdom
Attention: Exchange Team
For Information by Telephone Contact: +44 20 7508 3867
For Information by Facsimile Contact: +44 20 3320 2405
For Information by Email Contact: exchange.gats@citi.com
 

This announcement is not an offer to purchase any Notes or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. The Offer and Consent Solicitation is being made solely by means of the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation. None of Cell C, the Trustee, the Dealer Managers or the Tender and Tabulation Agent makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender any or all of their Notes or deliver their Consent. The Offer is not being made to any person resident or located in Italy. Certain restrictions in connection with the Offer apply in Belgium, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

So are Cell C's stores a cool place to hang out? The team behind the popular local comic strip Madam & Eve seem to think so. In fact, according to the latest cartoon, the stores are so cool some people will find it hard to leave...

Pretoria News
Monday, 20 September 2010, p. 2

Cell C launches Next Generation All IP HSPA+ 900 network with data speeds capable of up to 21.6Mbps in Bloemfontein, with city averages between 4 and 6 Mbps, and in many locations in excess of 10Mbps.

South Africa's third mobile operator, Cell C today launched its HSPA+ 900 network in Bloemfontein.  This follows closely on the heels of the recent Port Elizabeth launch, as part of the company's nationwide rollout.   

The high-speed network uses world-leading Multi Standard Radio (MSR) technology to support the HSPA+ 900 MHz network, offering data speeds capable of up to 21.6 Mbps.

Cell C is on track to launch the most advanced network in South Africa in major cities by the end of the year

Switching-on the network at a press conference in Bloemfontein, attended by the Free State Premier, Mr. Ace Magashule, Cell C's deputy CEO Nigel Hall said the company was 'on track' to launch the country's most advanced network in South Africa's major cities by the end of the year.

To date, Cell C has deployed 1600 HSPA+ 900 sites and large scale user tests are being run in nine major cities.  The first phase of the new network rollout, expected to be completed by the end of 2010, will cover approximately 34% of the South African population, with the network being launched on a city-by-city basis. The company will continue to expand its network roll-out and aims to cover 67% of the population by mid 2011.

Hall said the first phase of the Bloemfontein network rollout was complete with around 50% of the city's population covered.  The second phase, expected to be completed by the end of this year, will provide around 99% population coverage in the city.

He added that customers in Bloemfontein will, from Friday, be able to take advantage of Cell C's two prepaid data offers when products go on sale in retail outlets.  

As part of its city launch, Cell C also donated a modem to the Sehunelo High School in Bloemfontein to provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and an adaptor to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

Supersonic surfing is now available in PE. To celebrate, pilots in four Harvard planes took to the skies over Hobie Beach last weekend and treated the crowds to a free aerobatics show.

Here are some photos from the Cell C Speed Experience:

September 10, 2010 — Cell C (Pty) Limited announced today that it is offering to purchase for cash its outstanding €400,000,000 8 5/8 % First Priority Senior Secured Notes due 2012. Cell C is also soliciting consents from the holders of Notes to amend the indenture governing the Notes.  Cell C’s tender offer and consent solicitation will expire on October 8, 2010.

Cell C intends to fund an amount equal to the face amount of Notes tendered in the tender offer from the proceeds of a credit facility entered into with China Development Bank. The remaining amounts payable in connection with the tender offer and consent solicitation, including accrued interest on the Notes and related fees and expenses, will be funded from cash on hand.

Cell C will consider the possibility of redeeming the 11% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2015 following the consummation of the tender offer and consent solicitation.  The timing of any such redemption has yet to be determined.

This announcement is not an offer to purchase any Notes or a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes. 

Port Elizabeth – South Africa’s third mobile operator, Cell C, today commercially launched Africa’s first HSPA+ 900 network:

• Very competitive data proposition
• Next Generation All IP Network based on Rel. 7
• HSPA+ 21.6Mbps with city averages between 4 and 6 Mbps, and in many locations in excess of 10Mbps

The company officially switched on the high-speed network in Port Elizabeth as part of its nationwide network rollout.  Using world-leading software-defined radio technology, Port Elizabeth will for a short period be the only area in Africa to boast an HSPA+ 900MHznetwork, offering data speeds capable of up to 21.6 Mbps.

Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt announced in August that the company would launch its new network, city by city, until nationwide coverage was achieved.  “To date, 1600 HSPA+ 900 sites have been deployed and we are currently running large scale user tests in 10 major cities. We’ll launch the network in each of those cities once we are happy with the network coverage and quality.

He said the first phase of the HSPA+ network rollout, expected to be completed by the end of 2010, will cover approximately 34% of the South African population. Reichelt explained that the network will be launched on a city-by-city basis and 2 more cities will come “on-air” in September. The company will continue to expand its network rollout and aims to cover 67% of the population by mid 2011.

“What is significant about Cell C’s network, is that the HSPA+ release 7 network is IP across all network elements. This is a first for Africa, and will be rolled out countrywide and not only in pockets.  The same Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology will be used across our entire network. It will be HSPA+ all the way from day one. The combination of R7 all IP networking along with the SDR technology will offer our customers a low latency, high capacity network that can evolve quickly as new standards are released.

In addition, the lower frequency of 900 MHz compared to 2100 MHz provides for much deeper and wider coverage with better penetration for indoor users.  The result is fewer base stations to cover an area and enhanced in-door coverage. 

Reichelt also announced that the company is launching two prepaid data products to ensure customers get the best deals right away.  Available at all Cell C stores in Port Elizabeth, the data promotion offers customers the following:

“This is an unbeatable offer as customers would be paying as little as 5c per MB for high-speed data.  In addition, customerswho require more data once they have exhausted their monthly data allocation can purchase prepaid airtime to top-up their data at a cost of 39c per MB. 

Reichelt said that the promotion will be extended to other cities when the network is launched in those areas to ensure everbody is able to benefit from this great offer. 

He added that additional customer service support will be available at Cell C outlets and a specialized technical helpdesk has been set up to provide customers with expert advice.  Customers who need assistance when installing their USB Speed Sticks can phone Cell C’s customer service centre on 140 (from a Cell C phone) or 084 140 (from any other phone) and they will be routed to the technical helpdesk.

“Cell C is the consumer champion and this promotion is just one of the components in our strategy to ensure that Cell C is the operator of choice and the possibilities provider in South Africa. We guarantee that we will continue to launch exciting and innovative products to make life simpler,” said Reichelt.   

In August the company also revealed a new corporate brand identity and launched a customer-centric marketing campaign fronted by comedian Trevor Noah.  Reichelt said the Tell Trevor campaign that aims to encourage debate by inviting customers to join Cell C on its journey of change has been a great success. 

He said the campaign supports the company’s vision of understanding the way of life of its customers better than anybody else and tailoring solutions around them to enhance lifestyles and improve livelihoods.

The campaign, which was launched four weeks ago, has already resulted in more than 30 000 posts. “We have provided customers with a platform to raise their views – good or bad – and the number of web posts and SMS’s we’ve received thus far reflects consumers’ desire to be heard. 

As part of its city launch, Cell C also donated a modem to the Ethembeni Enrichment Centre in Port Elizabeth to provide the school with faster internet connection.  The school will also receive a monthly data bundle and an adaptor to allow multiple users connectivity at the same time.

Reichelt commended the school, which has for the past 12 years in a row obtained a 100% pass rate despite challenging circumstances, for their hard work and commitment to delivering exceptional standards in education.

Friday is the big day. The city-by-city rollout of our state-of-the-art HSPA+ network begins. Watch this space to see when the next city will be switched on.

There has been a lot of debate about Cell C’s new logo which we welcome. However, it has been incorrectly reported that Cell C’s logo has been "rejected”. This is not the case.  

Cell C’s application to register its logo as a trademark has been provisionally refused. The provisional refusal of trademark applications is not uncommon. As part of the trademark registration process, companies can make representations to the Registrar in response to the reasons for the provisional refusal.  

Prior to revealing the new logo, Cell C took legal advice from experts in the trademark field and followed all the relevant procedures in order to apply for the registration of the trademark. It must be noted that due to an administrative error by the Registrar, Cell C only received the official notification of provisional refusal and the reasons from the Registrar yesterday afternoon.

There are numerous well known brands and logos which are in daily use in South Africa which have not yet achieved final trademark registration status. In addition, even if an applicant does not ultimately succeed in registering a mark or logo as a trademark this does not stop the applicant from continuing to use the mark or logo.

Cell C regrets to announce that Take a Girl Child to Work Day® which was scheduled for this coming Thursday, 19 August, has been postponed until further notice as a result of the recently announced teachers' strike.

Cell C is fully committed to this initiative and will review and announce a new date for later this year in the coming weeks.

For more information on Take a Girl Child to Work Day® click here.

At a press conference in Johannesburg yesterday, Cell C which for the past nine years has been associated with a red logo and spotted “C”, revealed a refreshing new black and white logo with the “C” in the latter part of Cell C, placed within a solid circle.

The new corporate identity, according to Cell C CEO, Lars P Reichelt, reflects the company’s vision of understanding its customers’ way of life better than anybody else and tailoring solutions around them to enhance lifestyles and improve livelihoods.

The new brand identity also consists of a six-colour bar which represents the colours of the South African flag as a symbol that Cell C cares about South Africa, and South Africa only. Cell C intends to cater to all customers and not just those within specific LSMs.

Our new brand speaks to the changes we are making to improve the experience of our customers at every touch-point

“We are not just flying the flag on specific occasions - we make it part of our everyday life.  It is a reminder that this is the land of incredible possibilities and Cell C wants to be the ‘possibilities provider’ for all South Africans,” said Reichelt.

He said the decision to change the company’s well-known brand was a call to action, in line with the current changes within the company. 

“A brand must be relevant, appealing and inspiring to those inside as well as outside and I believe our new brand speaks to the changes we are making to improve the experience of our customers at every touch-point.

“Cell C intends to gain the trust of customers by being very open about the changes that are needed. Consumers are invited into dialogue and we want to engage them in the change that is happening.  Cell C wants to understand where customers are really unhappy in order to address those issues.” 

Reichelt said to ensure the changes are in line with what customers want, Cell C has partnered with comedian Trevor Noah to be “the company’s eyes and ears”. 

In his new watchdog role as Customer Experience Officer (C.E.O), Noah will see to it that Cell C delivers. Noah will also feature in an extensive marketing campaign that will provide customers with a platform to raise their views, concerns and frustrations by posting comments on www.telltrevor.co.za or by sending an SMS to 32353.

Cell C has also launched an easy-to-use website, where customers from all networks can indicate where their calls drop or where they have connectivity issues. Once these issues have been addressed, Cell C will provide customers with feedback.

Reichelt said the campaign was aimed at inviting customers to participate with Cell C on its journey to improve and transform the organisation and the category.  “We are saying to customers ‘the power is in your hands’.”

We expect Trevor to remain objective and critical throughout the transformation.  “Trevor will work with us, not for us.” 

Relating progress on technological transformation, Reichelt said while other mobile operators were deploying HSPA+ in pockets, Cell C will be the first South African operator to roll out HSPA+ across its entire network and it will do so in the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands. 

He said this was very significant as it offered the following benefits to customers and Cell C: 

• A single HSPA+ 900 transmitter can cover 3-5 more area than a UMTS 2100 site
• Indoor coverage with HSPA+ 900 allows for 10-20 decibelsmore gain than UMTS 2100, i.e. much better coverage within buildings
• HSPA+ 900 allows for more than double the throughput at the cell edge than UMTS 2100
• HSPA+ 900 provides 1Mbps throughput at the same distance as GSM 900 voice and provides wider area coverage for voice than GSM 900
• While HSPA+ 900 delivers area coverage, HSPA+ 2100 delivers capacity where needed.  

These characteristics, coupled, with the fact that Cell C's new network is all IP and uses world-leading  software-defined radio technology warrant the label Cell C attaches to its new network: 4G^s! 4 Great Speed and 4 Great Service.

In summary Cell C's new advanced 4G^s based on HSPA+ 900:  

• Allows to cover areas that have not been economically viable before and speeds up roll-out of high-speed broadband to a larger numbers of consumers 
• Lowers CAPEX and OPEX allowing for more competitive offerings going forward
• Yields a better overall customer experience and provides more capacity in conjunction with HSPA+ 2100 

 Reichelt said the company was making good progress on its network rollout and more than 1300 base stations have already been converted to HSPA+ in the 900MHz frequency band. 

“We are currently running large scale user tests in six cities and the results are very promising.  We are also conducting end-to-end tests and are enhancing and optimizing our 2G network. 

He said Cell C will launch its new network, city by city, until nationwide 4G^s coverage was achieved.  “An announcement about the launch of our first 4G^s city will be made in the next couple of weeks.

Cell C expects to cover 34% of the South African population by the end of 2010 with its 4G^s network and aims for 67% population coverage by mid 2011. 

Reichelt added that Cell C wanted to be the operator of choice and in addition to its advanced network will continue to launch exciting and innovative products around the needs of customers. 

He said the recently introduced PhotoCode by Cell C that allowed South Africans to access information on their mobile phones by using QR codes has surpassed expectations. “The application had over 15 000 downloads within the first days since launch.

 Summary

• Cell C launches new brand in South African colours and announces ambitions to become the 'possibilities provider'.
• Customers become the centre of the new brand as Cell C joins the dots
• Cell C vows to put the 'power in your hands' by listening to customers’ needs
• New online website and presence launched.
• New 'dropped call' online service launched for customers to help improve quality of service
• Africa’s FIRST HSPA+900Mhz Network successfully being trialed.
• Over 1300 sites across 6 major cities in South Africa now ready to launch and undergoing 'friendly user' trials.
• Over 30% HSPA+ 900 population coverage target set for year-end 2010.
• Over 15 000 downloads completed in just a few days after Photocode launch in South Africa.
• Trevor Noah announced as Cell C's Customer Experience Officer (C.E.O) to act as Cell C’s Customer conscience.

South Africa and Waterloo, ON – Cell C and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of the BlackBerry® solution for Cell C customers in South Africa.

Cell C customers will now be able to enjoy the productivity benefits of using BlackBerry® smartphones to stay connected to people and information while on the go. Customers will benefit from enhanced communications, with easy, wireless access to email, phone, calendar, web, instant messaging, multimedia and a range of other mobile business and lifestyle applications.

At launch, Cell C will offer its customers the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8520, BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9700 smartphones, as well as BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for corporate customers and BlackBerry® Internet Service for smaller businesses and consumers. 

Cell C customers can now benefit from easy, wireless access to email, web, instant messaging, multimedia and a range of other mobile business and lifestyle applications

BlackBerry Enterprise Server is for organisations that manage their own email servers. The BlackBerry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® and provides advanced security and IT policy controls to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.

BlackBerry Internet Service bundles provide a range of services for smaller businesses and consumers including the ability to access up to 10 supported corporate and personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts such as MWEB, Yahoo! Mail and Google Mail) from a BlackBerry smartphone.

“With customers able to choose between the BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server solutions, Cell C is giving customers a range of service plan options that best suits their needs,” said Simon Camerer, Cell C’s Executive Head of Marketing. “Cell C is excited to launch the BlackBerry solution to its customers, helping make their lives simpler, whether being mobile is for personal or business use.”

“RIM is pleased to work with Cell C to offer the BlackBerry solution to its customers,” says Deon Liebenberg, Regional Director for Sub Sahara Africa at RIM. “BlackBerry smartphones have been embraced by both business users and consumers throughout the world and are widely recognized for delivering an exceptional user experience.”

BlackBerry smartphones

The slim and approachable BlackBerry Curve 8520 provides easy access to email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking sites (including Facebook®, Twitter® and MySpace®), and features a highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard for comfortable, accurate typing. It is Wi-Fi®-enabled, and includes rich multimedia capabilities with easy access to music, games and other mobile applications for entertainment on the go. It also sports a 2MP camera.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 features a wide range of advanced communications and multimedia capabilities including a 3.2 MP camera. In addition to its advanced phone, email, messaging, organiser, web browser and multimedia applications, it features built-in GPS that supports location-based applications and services, and has built-in Wi-Fi. It also allows easy access to social networking sites. 

Preloaded with a variety of apps, the BlackBerry smartphones will allow Cell C subscribers to update their blogs, keep web community pages current, or add pictures directly to Facebook

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the perfect tool for business professionals and power users. It offers top-of-the-line performance, functionality and features with support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256 MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, a 3.2MP camera and a dazzling, high resolution display.

Preloaded with a variety of applications that are custom-built for use on BlackBerry smartphones, the BlackBerry smartphones will make it easy for Cell C subscribers to keep web community pages current, engage in instant message chats or add pictures directly to Facebook. Preloaded applications include BlackBerry® Messenger, Yahoo!® Messenger, Google™ Talk, Windows Live™ Messenger, Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones and GPS*

Pricing

The BlackBerry Curve 8520, BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphones are all available on current Cell C post-paid packages including the new Blackberry All Week 100 for R199 gives customers 100 anytime minutes across all networks. Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) is free on this package.

Cell C prepaid customers who have a BlackBerry smartphone or purchase a new one from Cell C will be able to benefit from the following service plans. Starting as low as R57.00 per month for BlackBerry Internet Service (Prepaid and Contract) and R114.00 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server , customers get unlimited email and Internet browsing, as well as unlimited use of preloaded data applications without incurring any additional data charges**.

For further information, Cell C subscribers can visit their nearest Cell C outlet.

*GPS is only available on the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Bold 9700.
**Terms and conditions apply.

Cell C is delighted to have another world-class partner in its transformation towards a customer centric organisation. As of 1 August 2010, Smollan Group, a specialist in the area of field marketing will help Cell C raise the bar in the retail environment by taking over Cell C’s merchandising and trade support function.

Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt said that this move is excellent news for the crew, company and its customers. “Smollan Group has been in business for close to eight decades and is a local leader with global ambitions in the area of field marketing. The Smollan team is highly professional, innovative and forward-thinking which will ensure our customers experience a world-class customer touch-point when they interact with our brand in stores."

“Smollan Group uses cutting edge technology to improve overall efficiency in stores, from geo-mapping for territory planning and demographic analysis to real-time web-based reporting tools to improve diagnosis and trigger better and faster corrective actions. 

The Smollan team will ensure our customers experience a world-class customer touch-point when they interact with our brand in stores

He says the channel support team will also benefit from this development, as staff will be exposed to specialised training and a variety of career and growth opportunities within the group. Smollan Group operates in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, India, China, the UK, Australia and Malaysia and partners with WPP, one of the world’s leading communications groups to provide a global and comprehensive marketing offer to clients including Pick n Pay, Engen, Tiger Brands and Sony Ericsson.

“We have implemented several initiatives this year with our customers as focus point. We have revamped our franchise model to improve Cell C’s ability to service customers better and 110 new stores with a customer-centric interior design have been rolled out to improve overall customer experience.

Reichelt says Cell C’s decision to join forces with industry leaders in the past few months has improved its ability to focus on its core business and to do what it does best.

Cell C today announced the conclusion of a partnership agreement with Merchants, a Dimension Data company, that will see the mobile operator’s customer contact centre managed and operated by specialist call-centre solutions provider, Merchants from 01 August 2010.
 
This follows an announcement by Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt in May this year that the company intends to implement several initiatives to improve overall customer service, including overhauling its billing system and moving the contact centre facility to Parktown.
 

Outsourcing Cell C's customer contact centre to an expert service-provider is the best guarantee of a world-class customer touch-point

"In order for Cell C to become a world-class service provider, we need to establish successful working partnerships.  These partnerships enable us to focus on our core activity and allow expert service-providers to manage other areas of the business in a more efficient and effective manner," said Reichelt.
 
"We have already partnered with several big global names that are leaders in their respective fields e.g. Nokia Siemens Networks and ZTE in rolling out our new 4G network and Huawei in overhauling our IT systems. Merchants is a global leader in contact centre operations and was therefore the obvious choice for Cell C," he added.
  
Reichelt said the outsourcing of Cell C's customer contact centre to an expert service-provider is the best guarantee of a world-class customer touch-point as it will empower the facility with global best practice standards.  In addition, contact centre staff will benefit through access to more specialised training and better career opportunities and prospects, locally and abroad.  "It's a win-win situation for both our customers as well as the contact-centre employees," added Reichelt.  
 
Adam Foster, CEO of Merchants said, "We are delighted to be working with Cell C. We believe that our experience and insight in the customer service arena will enable Cell C to deliver on their strategy to have customer touch points that build positive customer relationships."
 
Reichelt added that building at the new customer management centre in Parktown has already begun.  "The contemporary-designed and energy-efficient facility will be situated much closer to where our employees live and represents an environment that will be an absolute pleasure to work in, which is the first step in ensuring that staff go the extra mile."   
 
Cell's C existing contact-centre facilities are located in Midrand and Durban.  The Midrand-based staff will relocate to the new premises in January 2011, while the Durban-based staff can look forward to a revamped facility that reflects Cell C’s inspiring new brand identity as is reflected in 100 recently renovated Cell C retail outlets across the country.
 
 "We are very excited to be making such positive and exciting changes to our ability to put a smile on the faces of our customers," commented Reichelt.  "Our goal is to offer our customers a world-class service and the new customer management centre and our partnership with Merchants will be instrumental in achieving this."

Cell C is giving you a heads up on all the scams that are threatening subscribers.

Scam 5:
Free Nokia phone hoax email

A hoax email that bears the signature of a former Cell C employee has been in circulation for at least three years.

This email claims that Cell C is giving away free Nokia phones to each email recipient who forwards the email on to a number of other people. The email also requests that a copy of the email be sent to a fake Nokia email address.

Please be advised that this email is a fraudulent means of collecting email addresses.

Scam 4:
Fake Woza Wheneva winner calls

Subscribers should be aware of receiving an SMS stating the following:
Customers are being called by the fraudsters and told that they can "Win with Woza Wheneva" if they purchase recharge vouchers worth R150 from an Engen or Caltex garage. They are told not to load the airtime but to call the person back with the details on the voucher so that they can be "entered into the draw". The fraudsters then load the airtime on their own phone at the expense of the customer.

Cell C is not conducting any such promotion and we are appealing to customers to report any such incidents to us immediately by contacting the Cell C Customer Care line.

Scam 3:
Fake Lottery winner SMS

Subscribers should be aware of receiving an SMS stating the following:
"You have been drawn at 09:23 and won a check - 509578. Call to know the amount and withdraw it."

This SMS should be ignored.

Scam 2:
Fake FIFA 2010 winnings SMS

Subscribers should be aware of receiving an SMS stating the following: "This is to confirm that your cell number has won $2.8 million for FIFA 2010 International Award. Ref: SA2010F22, to claim contact Mrs. Howard via: susanh12010@yahoo.com.hk".

This has been confirmed as a scam and should be ignored.

Scam 1:
Phishing Attempts via email and SMS

Please be aware of the following scam SMS being sent by perpetrators trying to obtain your banking passwords: "Dear (client name), we require you to send the first and second OTP numbers you received on your phone via SMS to ... This is required by the South African Police to verify your bank account that is attached to your mobile phone number. You will be prosecuted if you don't send it immediately. Send the 2 OTP numbers to..."

This message will be received after responding to an e-mail that appears to be from the relevant bank. Do not access any links received via e-mail regarding your internet banking. Type in the link to your bank manually to ensure that you avoid all phishing attempts.

Soccer mania is in full swing and the whole Rainbow Nation is united behind Bafana Bafana in their bid for World Cup victory. In the spirit of this togetherness and unity Cell C are making dreams come true by hosting underprivileged children at World Cup matches across the country every day. 

All in all about 800 children will attend 36 matches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. Cell C will cover all flights and hotels. For many of these children it will be their first flight and their first stay in a hotel, not to mention a once a lifetime opportunity to be part of the first ever African World Cup.

The first group got to attend the opening match and completely stole the limelight off the pitch. As the group arrived dancing and singing their way into the stadium they were surrounded by the international media and made for one of the World Cup’s most heart-warming stories.

Watch a clip of the good cheer at the first match:

With four business class tickets to New York City in her pocket, accommodation at a boutique hotel and the around-the-clock services of a top stylist, it’s no wonder that Durban-born, Nokulunga Busisiwe Zulu is looking forward to her first trip to the Big Apple. Zulu is the winner of the Cell C WINC Women in New York City competition.

“This is the trip of a lifetime and the fact that it’s to New York City is amazing. I am crazy about Sex and the City and can’t wait to be in the same city that inspired the series and the movie,” said Zulu who has never travelled abroad before.

The Cell C WINC Women in New York City competition, was open to all WINC subscribers and offered an all inclusive trip to New York City with three friends worth R650 000 and includes perks like The Samantha Sex and the City Tour through New York City, dinner at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen and of course what trip to New York would be complete without a stop at the famous Magnolia Bakery for cupcakes. The winner and her guests will also receive a Nokia N97 to capture all of the thrills and excitement of their 7 day adventure.

“It was very difficult for me to decide who to take on this trip but I’ve chosen my three favourite girls – My mom, my aunt and my best friend. All of us are single and sexy!” said Zulu.

Launched in 2009, the WINC starter-pack is the first and only cellular package created exclusively for women. It includes a number of benefits that appeal to female subscribers.

“The WINC starter-pack has proven to be a success with South African women and we are certain that this awesome prize will draw the attention of many more women to the benefits of the WINC package,” said Simon Camerer, Executive Head of Marketing.

The moment South Africa has been waiting for is finally here, and you need all the soccer news, views, and interviews you can get. Tune in to The Scoop, a new radio programme for all the fans out there, sponsored by Cell C.

Launched on 8 June, The Scoop is produced by media personality Darren Scott and syndicated by five radio stations across the country - OFM, Jacaranda FM, Heart FM, East Coast Radio, and Algoa FM. Hosted by Barry Lambert and Kevin Fine (with Ian F taking the reins from Kevin Fine from June 28), this two-hour on-air magazine show aims to bring you all the best of the soccer, on and off the pitch. The show covers the big event from every angle, giving you the inside story on the players, the fans, the celebs and all the hot-button issues surrounding the game, as well as providing analysis of the games themselves, from discussing the tactics and strategies of the various teams, to commenting on the plays of the day.

The Scoop features a resident expert who together with an expert presenter, takes calls from listeners, and a roaming reporter who will speak directly to fans in the fan parks. The show kicks off at the end of the last evening game. Listeners can tune in every night between 10 and 12pm.

In addition to the two-hour programme, a daily five-minute slot will give a roundup of the day's activities and give listeners a sneak peak of what is to come. Check Cell C on Facebook and Twitter to find out what scoop you can look forward to every night.

Get The Scoop
Tune in to OFM, Jacaranda FM, Heart FM, East Coast Radio, or Algoa FM.
Show airs between 10 and 12pm daily.

Go to Cell C on Facebook to listen to three snippets from The Scoop.

In its quest to put the power in the palm of your hand, Cell C has taken a big leap forward. A first for South Africa, Cell C subscribers can now access the search giant Google, and the agenda-setting social network Twitter, on their mobile phones using MXit.

Founded in South Africa in 2003, MXit pioneered mobile instant messaging in the country, allowing users to send text messages at a fraction of the cost of the traditional SMS. Since then its popularity has exploded among the country's youth. In a recent survey conducted by the Sunday Times in which 5800 youths from six provinces were interviewed, MXit was voted number one above global players like Facebook and Youtube.

 

MXit boasts over 20 million users, making it the most widely used social network in South Africa.

The service now boasts over 20 million users, the vast majority of which are South African, making it the most widely used social network in the country. Cell C has always recognised the far-reaching influence of MXit and has used the service as an additional means of getting personal with its customer base. But now, by importing Google and Twitter, the full potential of MXit can finally be realised.

MXit users who would otherwise not surf the internet from their phones out of a lack of awareness or fear of the cost-implications can now get full Google and Twitter functionality at the touch of a button. Not only can users broadcast their ideas across the world or follow their favourite stars like Lady Gaga and Katlego Mphela who share their lives on Twitter, they get the entire World Wide Web at their fingertips via Google.

It's yet another innovation from South Africa's most forward-looking cellular operator, and another way Cell C is helping to close the digital divide. Stay tuned for more.

To add the Cell C MXit bot to your list of contacts, go to Tradepost > MXit Mix > the small screen > Cell C. Once you've done that the power of Twitter and Google is yours.

Cell C is pleased to announce its roaming partnership with Zain, the leading mobile telecom provider on the African continent. Over 41 million Zain customers in all of Zain Africa's 15 mobile operations can now benefit from its 'One Network' services when visiting South Africa. With the FIFA Soccer World Cup around the corner, the benefits for visiting fans will be immediate.

The award winning 'One Network' borderless mobile phone platform enables pre-paid and post-paid Zain customers, when travelling roaming on Cell C as the new 'One Network' partner, to be treated as Cell C customers, ie. local customers in terms of pricing while retaining home country service functionalities. On Cell C's network, Zain customers will be able to make calls, send SMS and access the internet (data) at the rates they are charged in their home countries as well as receive incoming calls at a minimal charge.

Simplicity is one of Cell C's core values and 'One Network' makes roaming a lot simpler for our Zain customers

"Simplicity is one of the core values of Cell C and 'One Network' makes roaming a lot simpler for our Zain customers. We are happy to enable Zain visitors to South Africa to make use of our network at prices they are accustomed to at home," said Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt. "Working with Zain has been smooth and decisive and we are proud that the "One Network" flag also bears the colours of the rainbow nation and of Cell C."

With the "One Network" service there is no need for customers to pre-register, no roaming deposits, and no complicated dialling formats. As in all other "One Network" countries Zain customers can recharge their pre-paid lines with locally purchased top up cards.

"We have reached a significant milestone by reaching South Africa, an African superpower that this season will be the focal point of world attention," said Zain Africa CEO Mr Chris Gabriel. "'One Network' is unstoppable, in every new country in which we plant the "One Network" flag. We are redefining the concept of mobile coverage and roaming by delivering on our brand promise of 'A wonderful world' and we are proud to partner with an equally innovative brand like Cell C."

Since its introduction in September 2006 in East Africa and cross-continent expansion thereafter, "One Network" has been recognised by the international community for significant innovation and raising industry standards, attaining many reputable awards.

Cell C subscribers will soon enjoy faster broadband speeds and a host of advanced multimedia services. The operator is modernizing its radio network to keep pace with growth in mobile data traffic and increasing smart device usage. Cell C has awarded the upgrade contract to Nokia Siemens Networks to enhance its radio access and backbone network, in addition to providing managed services under a separate contract.

"We are very happy to announce the appointment of Nokia Siemens Networks as a vendor for our next-generation network rollout plans," said Lars P. Reichelt, CEO of Cell C. "This deal represents another step forward in our promise of delivering a very high speed, high quality network to the South African market."

Cell C has moved another step forward in our promise of delivering a high speed, high quality network to the South African market

"With an unprecedented increase in data traffic, Cell C required a solution that could efficiently accommodate its still-growing GSM business and the need to upgrade to the more efficient 3G voice and data mobile technology," added Jorg Erlemeier, head of Middle East and Africa region at Nokia Siemens Networks. "Our Flexi Multiradio Base Station is delivered with GSM, 3G and LTE features making it the ideal choice for Cell C."

The highly compact, energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station can be deployed on Cell C's existing base station sites, allowing the operator to smoothly roll-out 3G-based mobile broadband coverage, while simplifying the network and reducing operating costs. Nokia Siemens Networks is also providing its high-capacity, cost-effective all-IP FlexiPacket Microwave solution for mobile backhaul, as well as its operations support solutions for network and resource management, trouble ticketing, and workflow management.

Under a separate managed services contract, Nokia Siemens Networks will draw on its deep expertise and experience in IP-based solutions to provide an array of services such as project management, planning, site acquisition, civil works, network implementation and integration, multivendor integration, network optimization, and hardware and software care.

Cell C made the headlines yesterday after Cell C CEO Lars P. Reichelt released the company's results for the year ended 31 December 2009.

Debt is down, revenue is up, our market share has grown despite tough economic and regulatory conditions, and several initiatives have been launched to improve the business.

In short, the future of Cell C looks brighter than ever.

Read the full stories:

• S.Africa's Cell C profit up, reduces debt (Reuters)
• Cell C shrinks debt, invests in wireless broadband, fibre (TechCentral)
• Cell C to spend R5bn in 2010 (Engineering News)
• Cell C slashes debt (IT Web)
• Cell C swaps debt for equity (Fin24)
• Rica bites cell industry (iafrica.com)

Watch the videos:

• Lars P. Reichelt interviewed on 702

Visiting Zimbabweans and Basotho can call home for less with Cell C's Call Home SIM which offers a special, promotional call rate to Econet Wireless Zimbabwe and Econet Wireless Lesotho.

The benefits of Call Home include:

• Cell C prepaid rates R 1.50 flat rate across all networks
• R 5.00 airtime on successful RICA.
• Cell C promotions, such as 'Woza Wheneva' apply
• Recharge with any Cell C airtime voucher
• 'Friends and Family' discounts to any 7 South African numbers
• Lowest, direct dial cellular rate available in South Africa (only R1.99 per minute)
• Free 'Please Call Me' service
• Access to 3 free 'TOUCH' messages to friends and family in Zimbabwe/Lesotho

Visit www.econetwireless.co.za for more info.

At a press briefing in Johannesburg today, Cell C announced an increase in revenue, subscriber numbers and EBITDA for the year ending 31 December 2009. Cell C also announced the recapitalisation of the company to improve its financial footing.

Lars P. Reichelt, CEO of Cell C, announced good results despite 2009 being one of the toughest years in the history of the mobile industry.

The company reported an increase of 14% in total revenue from R8.6 billion in 2008 to R9.9 billion in 2009. The underlying service revenues increased by 17% year-on-year. Coupled with good cost control, this led to Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of R1.4 billion in 2009, an increase of 67% from R0.8 billion reported in 2008*.

Cell C reported an increase of 14% in total revenue from R8.6 billion in 2008 to R9.9 billion in 2009

Reichelt said the implementation of RICA on 1 July 2009 affected new SIM activations severely, leading to an industry-wide net loss of customers of nearly 3.8 million subscribers in the second half of 2009. Despite this, Cell C managed to increase its customer base by 8% to 6.9 million active customers, year-on-year.

"The industry was hard-hit by the implementation of RICA. For the first time ever, negative growth was seen in the six months following the implementation of this legislation. In similar market constellations the smaller players tend to suffer disproportionately more. This was not the case with Cell C. We have grown our customer market share from 13.4% to 14.5% during 2009."

He added that the ARPU in both the prepaid and ControlChat segments increased by 10% and 14% respectively from 2008 to 2009. In the postpaid segment, revenues remained flat at 2% year-on-year.

In addition to the good results, Reichelt noted that shareholder loans of R6.4 billion were converted to equity at the end of 2009. "This has improved the company's solvency by reducing debt and increasing equity with an equivalent amount."

As a result, debt to EBITDA has decreased from 9.5X EBITDA immediately before the conversion to 4.8X EBITDA after the conversion.

Cell C managed to increase its customer base by 8% to 6.9 million active customers, year-on-year

Reichelt said the industry also experienced significant public and political pressure to reduce Wholesale Mobile Termination Rates. Cell C took a stance at a parliamentary hearing in September 2009 and proposed a way forward for the industry as a whole, arguing for a significant reduction of the peak mobile termination rate, a flat all day rate rather than peak and off-peak rates combined with a glide path over three years.

At the end of 2009, the three mobile operators agreed to a voluntary reduction to take effect in March 2010. Cell C dropped its standard prepaid tariffs by up to 47% in November 2009 - several months before the voluntary interconnect reduction took effect and was the first and only operator to do so at the time. "When our competitors announced that they would pass on some of the benefits to consumers, Cell C started a second wave of price cuts," said Reichelt.

"Cell C is still the only operator that offers a flat tariff to all of its customers. We offer an all-day flat rate of R1.50 to any network or landline, whether prepaid, postpaid or hybrid."

Reichelt said the company has already implemented several initiatives in 2010 to strengthen Cell C's competitive positioning. The company launched its third lifestyle starterpack, Nike Football in March 2010 on the back of Gospel Life and WINC (Women Incorporated) and announced a new postpaid offer, the All Week 100 in April 2010. "The All Week 100 includes 100 anytime, any network minutes and comes with a choice of an inclusive handset, free itemised billing as well as free caller line identification from as little as R49.

"We have also begun with a network transformation program to improve our coverage and data services. The all-IP HSPA+ network, that in its end state will provide nationwide coverage is in the process of being rolled out. This network will represent a step-change in terms of voice quality and in offering multi-megabit data-services." Cell C is partnering with ZTE and Nokia Siemens Networks to roll out its radio access network.

He said projects to improve overall customer experience have also been launched. "We have reviewed our distribution channels and are building more Cell C stores with a completely new and customer-centric interior design as well as changing our distribution model and some of our distribution partners.

"Thanks to a fantastic and energetic effort by the entire team of Cell C, we posted good financial results and more importantly, customers will soon see the fruits of our hard work in the initiatives that we have implemented." concluded Reichelt.

* Figures are rounded

Now Cell C helps you stay in touch with your loved ones no matter where they are in the world with the new Hello Mobile prepaid starter pack.

Hello Mobile offers Cell C customers discounted international call rates to a whopping 71 destinations. And because it's prepaid, there's no reason to fear a hefty monthly phone bill - just dial the international number and say hello!

With Hello Mobile making that call is easy:

• No monthly fees
• No contract to sign
• No access number to key-in before you call
• No account set-up
• International calls charged by the minute
• Rates apply 24/7. No peak/off peak rates
• Keep your existing number
• Recharge with any Cell C airtime and get free minutes
• The starter pack costs just R10.00
• Also all "Easy Chat Benefits" - R 5.00 airtime on successful RICA, Woza Wheneva, R 1.50 flat rate across all networks anytime.

Dial: 0861 666 786 from any phone, send an email to support@hellomobile.co.za or visit our website at www.hellomobile.co.za to find out more.

Mobile network operator, Cell C today announced that it will be investing R5 billion in the next year to expand its network coverage and rollout a high-speed broadband offering using HSPA+ technologies with download speeds of up to 21Mbit/s.

Cell C CEO Lars P Reichelt says that the company will be a significant broadband player in the market, offering state-of-the-art technologies at very high speeds.

Cell C's network
will offer download
speeds that are
three times faster
than what is
available in the
market today

"Currently the fastest 3G networks in South Africa offer speeds of 7,2Mbit/s. Cell C's network will offer download speeds that are three times faster than what is available in market today."

He says Cell C is still in negotiations with equipment manufacturers to build its HSPA+ network and more detail about its rollout plans will be made public early in 2010.

Visiting Zimbabweans can call home for less with Cell C's Call Home SIM which offers a special, promotional call rate to Econet Wireless Zimbabwe.

The Fair Usage policy for the Call Home SIM is as follows:

• The SIM is intended for individual personal use only as the primary SIM card of the subscriber.
• Use of the Call Home SIM for commercial gain such as on-selling the service in payphones, least cost routers and the like is not permitted.
• Primary usage behaviour will be determined based upon comparisons with the average primary SIM usage from time to time.
• Should it be suspected that a SIM is being used for anything other than the intended purpose, the promotional rate to Econet Zimbabwe for the line will be suspended and the line will revert to normal Cell C call rates.
• The standard Cell C prepaid call rate to Econet Zimbabwe is presently R7.00 per minute.

The annual results released yesterday by unlisted telecommunications and mobile operator Cell C, confirm that the company's popularity amongst consumers is on the rise.

Jeffrey Hedberg, outgoing Chief Executive Officer of Cell C said the results for the year ending 31 December 2008, underline that the company's strategy continued to pay handsome rewards as the operator declared increases in customers and revenue.

Cell C generated revenue for the year of R8.6 billion, an increase of 14% from the 2007

Cell C generated revenue for the year of R8.6 billion, an increase of 14% from the 2007 year, and achieved Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) of R812 million.

Hedberg said that the results are positive, given the tough economic environment, and the pressure on consumer's personal budgets and disposable income. "Our strategy and tactical plans produced the results in 2008 and I believe the team has met the expectations of both our customers and shareholders."

He added that tighter management control had kept costs at adequate levels while profit margins remained satisfactory. Market share has increased as the client acquisition and retention strategies bore fruit in the year under review. As at 31 December 2008, the active subscriber base totalled 6.4 million subscribers, an increase of 34% from 2007.

Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Lars Reichelt said that while the company has performed well in most areas of the business in 2008, there is still significant room for improvement. "The potential for growth remains strong and we will focus our efforts in 2009 to ensure Cell C offers simple, innovative, value-for-money products and improved customer service.

Cell C's active subscriber base totalled 6.4 million subscribers, an increase of 34% from 2007

"Cell C will aggressively expand its network coverage and manage anticipated growth in usage. We will also further improve the operational and financial performance of the company.

Simon Duffy, Chairman of Cell C's Board added that the shareholders are fully committed to the company and will continue to invest in the success of Cell C.

"We are pleased with the results and confident that the company will continue to deliver against the expectations of the Board and shareholders."

Hedberg concluded that he was extremely privileged and proud to serve with a committed and passionate team of people and is thankful to each employee for their contribution in the turnaround of the company. He also wished Reichelt success in his new role and is confident that, together with the team, he will take Cell C to new heights.