On Tuesday we started working on this story as a simple announcement that FNB Connect was offering SMEs up to 20 SIM cards which it could manage through its banking profile.

However, as we started looking at the packages on offer we spotted an oddity that sent us on a maddening journey.

While perusing FNB Connect’s Business packages we thought we’d compare the LTE Data deals to the non-LTE Data deals. LTE clearly states that it is device and coverage dependent but the other Data Deals don’t say what connectivity is being used here.

However alarm bells went off when we compared pricing between two packages.

To find the difference between these packages we contacted FNB Connect using the channels afforded to average customers and the experience was shocking.

Following multiple attempts and after being pushed from pillar to post by FNB’s contact centre for nearly an hour we found an answer. Unfortunately, that answer wasn’t accurate.

We were told by a service agent that the R84 per month package is LTE-only and as such is coverage and device dependent, as explained on the website. The R199 per month package does not feature LTE connectivity. When we asked whether FNB could check if our area had LTE coverage we were told it couldn’t and there was no map available for customers to check themselves.

We contacted FNB’s media team to find out if this was accurate and thankfully, it isn’t.

“LTE data only plans will be on LTE only and standard data plans will be any 2G/3G/LTE portion of the network,” FNB told us in response to questions.

There is also a coverage map you can check here at the bottom of the page.

What is interesting is that the LTE-only packages have no fall over to 3G/2G so if loadshedding goes on for longer than expected and towers die, so does your connectivity. Worse still if you don’t have LTE coverage in your area, this cheaper package is useless to you.

To that end, you’re better off getting the more expensive package which in turn has us recommending you rather look at data packages from Vodacom, MTN or Telkom instead.

The lack of information on FNB Connect’s webpage is unacceptable and the bank should do more to explain the limitations of its mobile data packages clearly to customers. The fact that customer service representatives also aren’t aware of the differences was also a source of frustration and FNB needs to do better in this regard.

While it may be convenient to manage your accounts from a single pane of glass as FNB’s product allows, it may be better to make use of a more established mobile network operator for your business telecommunication needs. Perhaps one that gives you accurate information about the products on offer rather than simply trying to get you to take delivery of a free SIM card.