South African residents are getting free WiFi anywhere they are commuting via taxis. This taxi is a 15-seater minibus, which 60% of South African residents use to commute daily.
In South Africa, the high cost of data and the internet make it challenging for many individuals to stay connected and receive essential information. However, a new software platform aims to change this narrative by providing free WiFi and content solutions to passengers on buses who need them the most.
Vodacom, Netstar, and WiTaxi launched this partnership and created it to help South African passengers have the best internet access in transit.
Vodacom is the top cellular provider in South Africa, with more than 45 million subscribers. It provides mobile and WiFi connectivity to significant parts of the country.
Netstar is a telematics company and subsidiary of Altron that offers excellent fleet management solutions for all sizes of businesses, industry-leading stolen vehicle recovery services, and cutting-edge vehicle and fleet tracking.
Many minibus cabs are equipped with Netstar telematics systems that can also function as WiFi routers. More than 3,200 cabs nationwide already have these devices installed, and they have a potential reach of 48,000 connected taxis.
WiTaxi is an online platform that offers internet connectivity to its users while commuting. Via this platform, WiFi will be provided for passengers in the taxi.
This is how the partnership works:
Vodacom will oversee providing the WiFi network, and Netstar will deliver trackers for taxis that can be used as routers to aid the WiFi connection. Users can access the WiTaxi app via the WiFi connection once they are inside a taxi.
Vodafone CEO William Mzimba says, “This partnership speaks to how Vodacom Business can empower people through technology solutions that drive progress and inspire innovation.”
Passengers can use their gadgets to browse at no cost throughout their everyday commutes. If commuters agree to view 15-second ads, the program offers up to 1GB of data usage daily.
If you take public transport frequently, how would you feel if you could get a free internet connection during transit?
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Image by WiTaxi
