SIM card madness in South Africa

South African Mobile Network operators produce about 180 million SIM cards every year, which is about three times the country’s population.

This figure, obtained from a reliable industry source, is driven by high churn in the mass market, with prepaid consumers regularly switching between networks to take advantage of prices and special offers. Many of these cards soon end up in the trash, thrown into the veld or landfill.

So what are MTN, Vodacom, Telkom and Cell C doing to combat this problem?

“We procure SIM cards based on our market share based on sales forecasts, subscriber growth year on year and the number of SIM cards registered through Rica and activated within the prepaid space,” Telkom spokesperson Muketsi Mokumi told TechCentral.

“Among other initiatives, Sim packaging is biodegradable and we have reduced the size of the SIM card by half. All returned/unusable SIM cards are recycled and destroyed in an environmentally friendly manner.”

According to Mokumi, the South African consumer market – and especially the informal market – is characterized by “washing machine casting”, where consumers frequently change their SIM cards due to rotation between different networks, depending on which network they perceive to offer best value. at that time. This results in “sleeping” Sims that eventually turn off due to lack of use.

Toxic substances

SIM cards contribute to e-waste generation in various ways.

Firstly, there is material waste. The materials from which a SIM card is made include plastic, metals such as copper and gold, and silicon, none of which are biodegradable. This means that throwing SIM cards into landfills is unsustainable, since SIM cards do not decompose naturally in the environment.

In addition, despite their relatively small size, SIM cards contain traces of toxic substances that can leach into the soil and contaminate water. Single-use packaging, usually plastic, increases SIM card waste.

Read: Pressure on South Africa to introduce ‘right to repair’ rules

Telkom, MTN, Vodacom and Cell C have reduced the size of their SIM cards to reduce waste. Modern SIM cards can also be cut to different sizes so that one SIM card fits into different SIM tray slots, such as standard, micro and nano SIM sizes.

However, the unused part of the SIM card is usually disposed of immediately after opening. The mobile operator is trying to encourage users to save unused materials rather than throw them away, Cell C spokeswoman Maxine Singaram said.

“Many customers retain the Sim interface for reference purposes as it displays important details such as call center number, USSD strings and phone number. We also offer raw Sims that are not packaged in flow film to reduce packaging volume,” said Singaram.

Of all the mobile operators, only Telkom was willing to reveal the number of SIM cards it issued in the last financial year: a staggering 43 million. MTN and Vodacom declined to disclose their figures, citing competitors’ sensitivities. However, based on Telkom’s figures, it is reasonable to assume that the figure for each company is well over 43 million per year.

“The demand for physical/plastic SIM cards is driven by various channels and partners, as well as wholesale sales of SIM cards. The industry is working to optimize distribution,” Vodacom said.

Cell C, on the other hand, said it produces less than 20% of the SIM cards in the market and is focused on managing efficiency while meeting demand. However, like MTN and Vodacom, the company also does not disclose how many SIM cards it produces annually.

Embedded SIM cards, better known as eSims, are a digital form of SIM card that could ultimately solve the environmental problem associated with physical SIM cards.

Telkom said about 90,000 of its 20.4 million subscribers use eSims. Vodacom, MTN and Cell C have not disclosed how many eSim clients they each have on their networks, but widespread adoption of eSim in South Africa is limited by device adoption as the feature is only available on newer and more expensive devices.

Programs

“While we are seeing significant adoption of eSim in our branded stores and contract markets, the mass market relies heavily on feature phones and basic smartphones that are not yet compatible with eSim,” Cell C’s Singaram said.

Both Vodacom and MTN said they have programs where customers can dispose of their SIM card waste in environmentally friendly ways, including collecting waste from the comfort of their own home. Both operators also conduct awareness programs on the topic of e-waste. MTN said it is an active member of the producer responsibility organisation. Circular energy.

“Through Vodacom’s Redlovesgreen programmes, Vodacom encourages customers to adopt environmentally sustainable practices and recycle responsibly. We have partnerships to raise public awareness of recycling points across the country,” Vodacom said. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media

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