MTN’s ‘free-to-use’ found to be misleading

NETWORK service provider MTA was dealt a blow when the Advertising Appeals Committee turned down its appeal, confirming that its Shesh@600 product, which claims to offer a “freeto-use” router, was not always “free”.

- ZELDA VENTER

MTN was ordered last year to either remove or amend its “free-to-use” router advertising.

This followed a complaint by a consumer that he was charged an “activation fee” of R553 before MTN could activate the router for use.

MTN subsequently appealed against the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) Directorate’s ruling, which upheld the consumer's complaint by finding that the “free-to-use” router claim in MTN’s Shesh@600 home internet advertising was misleading.

The advertising in issue is a campaign promoting MTN’s Shesh@600 5G/LTE Home Internet package, offering uncapped data with tiered speeds for a monthly subscription of R399. The offer appeared in a MyBroadband advertorial.