Spar Group has entered South Africa’s mobile market with the launch of Spar Mobile, a new mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) designed to offer affordable and innovative mobile services.
This plan, announced Tuesday, uses Spar’s retail base to offer unique benefits that might decrease mobile data expenses by 50 percent.
Spar Mobile offers free data through shopping rewards
Spar Mobile combines mobile access with regular shopping, making it more than another MVNO. Customers earn free mobile data by purchasing selected promotional products at Spar and Tops! Liquor stores.
This innovative approach means users can significantly reduce their monthly data expenses by shopping as usual, with Spar covering all promotional data costs.
SIM cards are available for as little as R15, preloaded with 300MB of data and R10 airtime. eSIM options are also supported, along with number porting for customers who want to keep their existing numbers.
The onboarding process is seamless, with in-store sales agents ready to assist customers in activating their SIMs quickly.
Seamless integration and competitive pricing backed by MTN
Spar Mobile operates on MTN’s network, supported by the MVNO platform megsApp, ensuring reliable coverage across South Africa. Customers can manage their accounts, top-up airtime, and track rewards through the Spar mobile app, which integrates mobile services with the retail experience.
Blake Raubenheimer, Spar Group’s omnichannel executive, emphasised the simplicity and affordability of the offering: “We are building the network by offering very competitive pricing that is simple and easy for customers to understand.” The MVNO targets the large prepaid market in South Africa, estimated at R100 billion annually, where 86 percent of transactions are prepaid.
With this launch, Spar joins other South African retailers like Pick n Pay and TFG Connect in using MVNOs to deepen customer loyalty and offer flexible mobile solutions. If successful, Spar Mobile could expand into other African markets where Spar and MTN operate, such as Botswana and Zambia.
This retail-driven mobile service offers data that never expires, a rare feature in South Africa’s data market. This makes it especially attractive to price-conscious consumers.