Nokuthula Mkhwane, MD of Aweh Mobile.
Aweh Mobile has entered South Africa’s mobile market as the latest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), targeting households with a service that lets them manage multiple SIMs through a single account.
The operator, which officially launched yesterday, is positioning its offering around the way families share mobile connectivity, rather than treating each subscriber as an individual customer.
Aweh Mobile’s platform allows customers to manage multiple SIMs from one account and dashboard. Users can share data, voice minutes and SMS between SIMs, monitor usage, receive balance alerts and make use of automatic top-ups, it says.
The service includes parental controls, allowing parents to have greater oversight of their children’s mobile usage.
Nokuthula Mkhwane, MD of Aweh Mobile, tells ITWeb the company identified the administrative burden created when several members of a household have separate mobile accounts.
“Aweh Mobile was built to take that burden off the parent’s plate. One account, one invoice and no more urgent top-ups. Data, minutes and SMS can be moved from one family member to another in moments, through the app or the website.”
“Our model is intended to allow households to redistribute shared allocations as individual requirements change, rather than having unused resources on one account, while another family member runs out,” Mkhwane explains.
Aweh enters an increasingly crowded South African MVNO market, where banks, retailers and digital businesses are competing for customers. Players include FNB, Capitec, Standard Bank, Shoprite, Mr Price and Melon Mobile.
Mkhwane says the company’s competitive advantage is its business model, which aims to reduce waste within household mobile spending.
Aweh Mobile operates as an MVNO using Cell C’s network infrastructure. Mkhwane points out the arrangement provides subscribers with access to roaming coverage through Cell C’s network agreements.
“This ensures our subscribers gain access to the stronger signal from either MTN or Vodacom, depending on their location. Our subscribers get some of the widest and most dependable coverage in the country.”
The network arrangement gives Aweh a route into the market without having to build and operate its own nationwide radio access network, allowing the company to concentrate on its customer platform and service proposition.
“Since early 2025, we have built our own technical platform from the ground up, an online charging system, a business support system, a CRM and a customer service platform. All of it runs on AWS in Cape Town and is integrated with Cell C for data, voice and SMS connectivity.”
Aweh has also established a customer service hub in Johannesburg as part of its launch infrastructure.
Its online charging system charges and controls usage in real-time, automatically deducting data, voice and SMS from available bundles or balances – a system typically used for prepaid services.
Mkhwane could not disclose how much it has invested in establishing the South African operation, describing the commitment as “significant”.
While households are the initial target market, Aweh says its longer-term strategy extends beyond consumers.
The company plans to introduce services for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and additional services aimed at business customers.
“The technology we’ve built for families carries over naturally to SMEs. Once we’re established in the family market, we’ll bring that same model to SMEs with a range of packages and value-added services designed for that customer base.”
The company is making its packages available through its website and mobile application, where customers can make a selection and manage their accounts. The app is available on both Google Play and Apple App Store.
