Telkom South Africa has launched a new solution FreeMe, which the telco claims signals a complete overhaul of its mobile product offering and represents a breakaway from the conventional smartphone deal.

The company says as of 25 July consumers can choose from six different FreeMe data plans representing six different data sizes.

Telkom said all plans include free texts, free IM calls, free calls to Telkom mobile and fixed line numbers, as well as free Wi-Fi.

Its two top end products also feature free calls to any network.

Telkom argues that mobile consumers have been forced to "navigate confusing contracts, seemingly endless terms and conditions, high peak rates, and pricey extras" and that its latest offering "flies in the face of tradition."

Attila Vitai, Telkom Consumer CEO, said, "Data has become the central requirement for most smartphone users, so that is what we have prioritised."

Vitai explained that Telkom has reviewed its spectrum capacity and allocation, and this has enabled it to bypass interconnection fees charged by other networks, and achieve what the company describes as "greater coverage and faster data speeds."

The top two data packages (20GB and Unlimited data) are priced at R599 and R999 respectively, while the remaining four packages (1, 2, 5 and 10GB data packages) are priced between R99 and R399.