This will provide immediate and enormous benefits for thousands of visiting soccer fans this summer.

According to Zain Africa CEO Chris Gabriel, “‘One Network’ is unstoppable. In every new country in which we plant the 'One Network’ flag, we are redefining the concept of mobile coverage and roaming by delivering on our brand promise of ‘A wonderful world’”.

The borderless mobile phone platform will also enable pre-paid and post-paid Zain customers to be treated as local customers in terms of pricing when travelling to another 'One Network’ partner country, while retaining home country service functionalities.

In South Africa, Zain customers will be able to make calls, send SMS and access the internet (data) at local rates of the visited country and to receive incoming calls at a minimal charge.

There is no need for customers to pre-register, no roaming deposits, and no complicated dialling formats.

As in any other “One Network” country, while in South Africa, Zain customers can recharge their pre-paid lines with locally purchased top up cards.

On his part, Cell C CEO, Lars P. Reichelt said, “The cost of international roaming is often inhibitive for international travellers and we are proud to be a part of this offering that will allow visitors to South Africa to make use of our network at prices they are accustomed to at home”.

Since its introduction in East Africa, “One Network” has been recognized by the international mobile industry for its innovation and for setting new standards in cross-border mobile communication.