We have for long craved for a TrueUnlimited data bundle aka a video streaming data bundle– and most wireless data providers seem to fall short of this. May be its because the real definition of TrueUnlimited internet is tricky for most to explain as carriers or telecom companies seem to have their own definition of unlimited internet from what customers expect.
Well, Smile Uganda has today introduced what they call the first ever TRUEUnlimited 4G LTE mobile internet service in Uganda, with NO Data Limit. So this means you can use the internet bundle and you won’t capped with the amount of data you use, but instead you will be capped on the speeds. Companies like Africell already have this kind of TRUEunlimited data bundle since 2014 but it is only limited by its 512 kbps maximum speeds.
Smile telecom’s TRUEUnlimited 4G LTE will offer speeds up to 3 Mbps shared at a cost of UGX 279,000 . This means you will utilize speeds between 0- 3Mbps depending usage, signal quality, location etc in short you must abide with their Fair Usage Policy (FUP). Smile’s new TRUEUnlimited data bundle is the perfect YouTube, Netflix or Music streaming data bundle for those who can afford it, as it ensure no cap on the amount of data used.
READ MORE: Let’s accept, there’s no such thing as Unlimited Internet in Uganda
How Smile’s TRUEunlimited bundle compares to Unlimited offerings
| Telecom | Package Name | Speeds | Cost (UGX) | Validity |
| Africell | Unlimited | 512 Kbps | 299,000 | 1 Month |
| Airtel | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| MTN | Unlimited Basic | 2 Mbps | 179, 000 | 1 Month |
| Roke Telkom | Roke Unlimited Plus | 5 Mbps | 250, 000 | 1 Month |
| Smile | TRUEUnlimited | 3 Mbps | 279,000 | 1 Month |
From the table, you can see that Africell’s bundle is the most expensive and offers less speeds thus not value for money compared to the competition. It seems Airtel has no plans of offering any TRUEunlimited internet bundle in the near future.
READ MORE: Who is fooling who: Are Ugandans really getting Unlimited mobile internet?
All telecom companies offer great unlimited internet packages, except that for the fact that all offered packages are capped and this is what Smile’s new TRUEunlimited has come to disrupt. For instance, some of the service providers control your usage rate with daily caps while some have a single joint cap and once it’s met you package slows down with tortoise traces. We shall soon use Smile’s TRUEunlimited package soon and give feedback.
But is Smile’s new TRUEUnlimited data bundle truly unlimited? Yes and No. It a great bundle for those who will be able to afford it, I would be glad to try it out assuming I can be assured of the 3Mbps speeds all the time which will most likely not be the case.
