10-04-2017, 09:21 PM
Subscribers of South Africa s largest cellular networks have been complaining to Talk Radio 702 that their mobile data caps are depleting faster than they should.
Clients affected by this data leakage have raised questions about the issue, with some alleging that operators are cheating them out of data.
Asked about this, Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C said they would have to investigate each complaint individually.
There is no single reason data will deplete faster than a subscriber thinks they use it, but the networks stated that data doesn t just disappear .
Unless a device containing one of their SIM cards makes a request over their data network, nothing is deducted from a subscriber s account.
However, Vodacom said there is sometimes a small chance that a malicious actor gets through all the checks it has in place and is consuming another subscriber s airtime.
Vodacom emphasised it is unlikely this would happen, and that it is not aware of a recent case where a user s data was consumed through such action.
The most likely reason your data is disappearing
The likely cause for data inexplicably depleting is that users are consuming more data unknowingly, the three networks told MyBroadband.
Among the reasons for increased data usage are:
Windows 10: There was a sudden increase in the number of complaints when Microsoft launched the free update to Windows 10, which is a download of around 3GB.
Automatic updates: MTN said most complaints it received point to updates running in the background. Vodacom pointed out that this includes updates to applications as well, and not just system software. Updates can be hundreds of megabytes in size.
Social media: Facebook and Instagram have both started showing higher resolution images, MTN said. WhatsApp photo and video messages can be up to 16MB each.
YouTube: Faster connections allow YouTube to stream higher definition video. YouTube will dynamically adjust the quality of the stream to what it thinks is best for your device and Internet connection.
Price changes: MTN said that changes it has made to its pricing to bring itself in line with industry norms might create the impression of data disappearance . It made some data bundles last only 30 days, where they used to last 60, and it changed its out-of-bundle data rates to 99c/MB. Vodacom said it hasn t changed its prices.
LTE: Both networks said they have been rolling out LTE. This offers faster data speeds, which means subscribers with LTE devices are able to download more data in less time than they used to. An overwhelmingly large number of complainants use LTE-compliant handsets, said MTN.
Less likely: someone else is using your data
While not likely, Vodacom said it is possible that someone can hijack a subscriber s SIM.
It emphasised it has no recent record of this happening, and that it has a number of systems in place to prevent this, but said it did want to mention the slim possibility.
SIM swap fraud, though an unlikely mechanism for data theft, is a possible way that someone else could use your data. You should notice this immediately, though, as your own SIM would go dead.
Alternate-SIM services are another way data could be stolen.
For example, Vodacom lets you add a data SIM to your existing contract so that you can use your data cap in more than one device (e.g. smartphone and laptop).
Twin Call SIM is another such service which lets you use a single number across two devices.
MTN has a similar multi-data SIM service which it calls MTN DataShare which also has measures in place to prevent abuse.
MTN DataShare sends you an SMS every time a new number is allowed to share your data bundle.
Besides some crafty data thief trying to get access to your cellular account, another way someone could use your data is if you have a Wi-Fi router for your mobile data connection.
If your hotspot is unsecured or has a weak password, it is possible that one of your neighbours are using your Wi-Fi.
Preventing bill shock
MTN and Vodacom said that in addition to their balance checking features, they also let users set usage limits.
Vodacom has call limit lock for its contract subscribers that lets them set a maximum out of bundle spend amount, after which their account is locked until they contact support to unlock it.
MTN has a similar subscriber usage limit feature on its My MTNChoice packages.
If your data is depleting for some unknown reason and you want to trace the cause, however, you re on your own.
The networks have the ability pull logs of the URLs and/or IP addresses of the sites and services you have accessed over a limited period, but Vodacom said that this is a time-consuming exercise.
Cell C added that under the Protection of Personal Information Act, they do have a duty to protect customer privacy.
Such logs will only be drawn upon request, and typically only when there s a big issue.
However, most modern smartphones track how much data applications consume, and there are also applications for PCs you can use to measure your data consumption.
Telkom an example to the rest
Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C may not be cheating users, and they do offer services that let you limit your out-of-bundle (OOB) spend and track your data usage, but they can do more.
While these networks send you SMS notifications to alert you to your usage or to warn you about your data running out, Telkom cuts you off.
You are then presented with a screen where you can elect to go out-of-bundle, or buy a new data bundle.
On top of that, Telkom s SIM-Sonke prepaid tariff plan offers OOB data rates of 29c/MB some of the lowest in the country.