The Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) has instructed Telkom to withdraw its \u201cbest data provider\u201d claim in its UnlimitedHome advertising.<\/p>\n
The ruling followed a complaint by Vodacom which argued that Telkom\u2019s \u201cbest data provider\u201d claim is unsubstantiated, and its reference material is out-of-date.<\/p>\n
To substantiate its claim, Telkom used a MyBroadband article from July 2016 \u2013 where Tarrific rated its FreeMe 1GB data package as the best in the market.<\/p>\n
Vodacom said the information was outdated, and therefore does not constitute an up-to-date substantiation.<\/p>\n
Vodacom also pointed out that the article refers to Telkom\u2019s FreeMe mobile packages, whereas the advertisement refers to Telkom\u2019s uncapped fixed-broadband products.<\/p>\n
Telkom explains<\/strong><\/p>\n Telkom responded, saying it has received numerous awards in the broadband market over the years, which included \u201cBest mobile broadband provider in South Africa\u201d.<\/p>\n It added that it erroneously used the 2016 article to substantiate its \u201cbest data provider\u201d claim for its UnlimitedHome deal.<\/p>\n Instead, it said it will use the MyBroadband article titled \u201cNot all uncapped fair use policies are created equal\u201d.<\/p>\n This article lists the fair use policies of prominent fixed-broadband ISPs.<\/p>\n ASA ruling<\/strong><\/p>\n The ASA said that while the MyBroadband article titled \u201cNot all uncapped fair use policies are created equal\u201d compares fair use policies, it says nothing about \u201cbest data provider\u201d.<\/p>\n It added that there is no claim that one ISP offers a superior product to another, or that one fair use policy is the best.<\/p>\n The ASA said it is perplexed as to why Telkom would try to reference this article to substantiate its \u201cbest data provider\u201d claim.<\/p>\n It subsequently ruled that Telkom\u2019s advertising is misleading and should be withdrawn with immediate effect.<\/p>\n
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