Just a question... apparently non-SA fans have received MTN SIM cards with their FIFA ticket confirmation letters. How will that work in terms of RICA? I emailed MTN and the response was that they "cannot RICA under those circumstances" which made little to no sense to me. Are foreigners going to be forced to use their own service provider/roaming or is there another way of going about this?

I am waiting to receive my MTN sim card in the post here in the USA.
What is RICA ? Are you saying that if I put this card into my unlocked phone I cannot use it to make local calls within SA ?

I think you will be able to use your sim for both national and international calls. I think they cant register you because its for temporary bases and you need to have your South African ID and proof of residance to register.

RICA is just a database for the government of South African citizens or residents that use cellphones. It has no connection to telecommunication functions, so don't worry, you'll be able to use your phone.

But you can't buy a new SIM without RICA because they are sold 'inactive'. Does it mean fans who don't receive the MTN one in the mail won't be able to have a local SA phone?

Maybe they'll deactivate those sim cards after the world cup?

thats what im thinking.

I know I bought a phone in Germany for the last WC -dirt cheap it was too-love to do it again

hey guys!
I just got my confirmation package from FIFA :banana:
FIFA are keeping their promise by sending these out on time; FIFA 9/10
I also got the MTN card - FIFA 10/10 :D
Didnt expect they would give out SIM cards. Its a PayasYouGO Starter Pack, so I dont know if it has any credits in it. The mini brochure refers to RICA and how I can show my passport for registering at an MTN office. :cheers:

MTN Call Per Second is the default option loaded on the starter pack.

Now, where can I get a cheap unlocked phone in SA and how much ?
I have an unlocked phone that I use here, but dont plan to use it in SA because I could be asking for trouble like what some of you guys say abt thefts/vandalism in the open public and to avoid flashing jewellery,expensive watches,cameras.

You can use your phone here man. Its not bad like you think.

fyi. no south africans own iphones or blackberrys :) :)

You can use your phone here man. Its not bad like you think.

How much do you think it will cost?
For Germany I remember buying a cheap French phone off T -Mobile for 20 Euro but that included 10 Euro of calls:)

I bought a simple Nokia phone for around R180 a couple of weeks back from CNA - the only thing is that they won't sell it to you without an MTN sim card, so make sure you have the right stuff for RICA.

This is another good reason why RICA is a bad idea...

ya just bring your own unlocked phone

hey guys!
I just got my confirmation package from FIFA :banana:
FIFA are keeping their promise by sending these out on time; FIFA 9/10
I also got the MTN card - FIFA 10/10 :D
Didnt expect they would give out SIM cards. Its a PayasYouGO Starter Pack, so I dont know if it has any credits in it. The mini brochure refers to RICA and how I can show my passport for registering at an MTN office. :cheers:

MTN Call Per Second is the default option loaded on the starter pack.

Now, where can I get a cheap unlocked phone in SA and how much ?
I have an unlocked phone that I use here, but dont plan to use it in SA because I could be asking for trouble like what some of you guys say abt thefts/vandalism in the open public and to avoid flashing jewellery,expensive watches,cameras.

Just bring your own phone lol. I literally *always* have my phone in my hand when out in public.

fyi. no south africans own iphones or blackberrys :) :)

I hope you're being sarcastic? =P As every second person I know owns a Blackberry haha.

obviously its sarcastic.

obviously its sarcastic.

Good :lol:

Wow so it seems u do need to register with RICA regardless. Sorry guys, didn't know since I haven't bought a new sim card. But I guess for foreigners it will be more relaxed right? Like you don't need proof of address etc, just your passport?

Btw wats the deal with blackberry? Around two months ago so many people are buying them now! I mean I always see people posting their BB pin number on the facebook status lol

Wow so it seems u do need to register with RICA regardless. Sorry guys, didn't know since I haven't bought a new sim card. But I guess for foreigners it will be more relaxed right? Like you don't need proof of address etc, just your passport?

Btw wats the deal with blackberry? Around two months ago so many people are buying them now! I mean I always see people posting their BB pin number on the facebook status lol

The PIN number is for Blackberry Messenger, which is free. It's an IM client, but its exclusive to Blackberry and obviously very well integrated (eg. you automatically connect when you switch on your phone). What's nice is that it comes across more as SMS than as Mxit or MSN considering everyone is basically logged on all the time (at least in my friendbase :lol:). And if you don't manually end a conversation, you can even close BB Messenger and get new message notifications on the home screen, or switch your phone off and on and resume said conversation. If the person you send a message to is on the phone or doesn't have a signal you're notified and they receive the message when its possible.

Another huge drawcard is that for R59/month you can get uncapped on-Blackberry internet on Vodacom and MTN.

Hard to beat that if you use your phone a lot :)

Just realised I have another phone but need to get it unlocked by my service provider. Looks like

http://i40.************/m9un3s.jpg

:hahaha:

Yeah, I use a BlackBerry - can't believe it took me this long to buyone - been the best acquisition ever!

Pathfinder - dude, bring your phone. Don't stress.

Is there an MTN office at OR Tambo airport where I can get my SIM card registered (considering I will not forget to bring the SIM card FIFA gifted me) ? I would like to get this plan - http://www.mtn.co.za/FindaPlan/Pages/MTNOneRate.aspx

What do you guys say abt the One Rate plan ? I can put in say R200 the first time and charge it later if I run out of minutes.

From MTNSP:

"We sincerely apologize for the delay in reply.

Please accept our apologies for being misinformed on the below.
With regards to RICA these SIM cards, you would have to get to SA first – RICA the SIM kit and then only will the Network activate the SIM.

Our digital team is currently finalising a page on the website www.mtn.co.za to explain all the various features and assistance on the visitor SIM.

We are currently also negotiating with a UK based company who will be able to RICA in the UK and sell airtime there as well. All airports in SA have kiosks that are also able to RICA the SIM once they arrive in SA. The SIM pack booklet basically also has all the info the customer needs to activate.

Trust the above information is in order.

Kind Regards,
Farzanah Karriem
Customer Services.
MTNSP"

All airports in SA have kiosks that are also able to RICA the SIM once they arrive in SA.

:banana::banana::cheers:
:)

My biggest worry is how long it will take to activate the SIM after you've done the RICA bit.

I don't see why it'll take long. I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't immediately activated actually.

Takes up to 48hours for us plebs living in the country...

Takes up to 48hours for us plebs living in the country...

I bought a cheapie prepaid phone that came with a VodaCom starter pack, it was activated instantly.

I bought a cheapie prepaid phone that came with a VodaCom starter pack, it was activated instantly.

how much did that cost you including the phone ?

You can get cheap phones from like R200 including a starter pack lol.

You can get cheap phones from like R200 including a starter pack lol.

You could have told this to me yesterday ! :bash: :lol:
R200 is a not much at all. Which company offers them ?
MTN/Vodacom ? Will they offer these phones to foreigners ?

Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Virgin should all often shitty dirt-cheap phones. But I'm not sure how the foreign fan thing works...so it could only be MTN that foreign fans can sign up with. Otherwise you should be able to pick one up at almost any phone store without a SIM card and you can just use your MTN SIM you were sent.

But as we said, you REALLY do not need to worry about bringing your phone over ;)

I paid R170 at Game for a Nokia 1208 on VodaCom and I got a junk FM radio and R12 airtime also :P but it doesn't beat my Blackberry :)

Cellphones have the same importance as breathing for us South Africans, you will find one anywhere!
Also any phone that you buy here should not be network locked by law, you could buy the cheap phone on vodacom, RICA it and then cut up and throw the SIM card you got in the bin and use another SIM.

so for new sims it has to be activated before you can start using it?

Ah, but don't these tourist need proof of residence to get RICA'd?

Ah, but don't these tourist need proof of residence to get RICA'd?

Here is a snapshot of the RICA Registration page from the MTN booklet I received from FIFA. FYI, this is part of the package that FIFA sent to international visitors along with ticket confirmation.

http://i44.************/o0wi0h.jpg

Oh, I see residence in country of origins.

RICA is just a fancy word for we will wire-tap your ass and there is nothing you can do about it.

Yeah, I use a BlackBerry - can't believe it took me this long to buyone - been the best acquisition ever!

Pathfinder - dude, bring your phone. Don't stress.

Ok I decided to get a blackberry this storm and I upgraded my contract to a blackberry storm 2 as an early birthday gift :)

I got it cuz it has a big screen and i can edit and read documents. just wonderin bout your opinions tho? Should i have gotten the blackberry bold 2 or was the storm 2 the right choice? I still have time to change it...

I despise touch screen phones :) Never again.

I heard lots of people complain about touch screens but why? Surely touch screen has improved?

A thing I like about the touch screen is that you have a lot of mobility, such as when moving page down, as opposed to constantly using a small knob in the middle of the phone. Healthier for the fingers :)

Yes, that's the nice part about them, but typing is a bitch. At first it didn't bother me and I thought I'd get used to it, but the problem is that you always need to be looking at the screen to type, and it's a lot slower than even a normal numeric keypad with predictive text. You tend to misfire quite a bit too, which only adds to the annoyance. And typing with one hand is often interesting lol.

Last but not least...fingerprints all over the screen!

http://www.mtn.co.za/Travel/Documents/38127+Intern+Visitors+booklet_54x84_H13.pdf

:D

Strange they don't mention anything about setting up internet access on your phone...

Ya I see what you're saying. Well let's see how it is? I heard that Storm2 has a technology for typing where it feels like your clicking a button and misfiring is close to zilch.

Ya I see what you're saying. Well let's see how it is? I heard that Storm2 has a technology for typing where it feels like your clicking a button and misfiring is close to zilch.

Different strokes for different folks hey. You may end up loving a touchscreen :)

Best thing to do is to go in-store and ask them if you can test out both handsets in order to get a feel for which one you'll prefer.