MTN SME Data Share FAQs by Harry Jay

How do I purchase an MTN SME Data Share bundle?

To purchase an MTN SME Data Share bundle, all you need to do is:

• Send 460 to 131 or dial *460# to migrate to the SME Plus Service Class

• You must ensure your airtime balance (on the mobile phone doing the sharing) can cater for the cost of data bundle being purchased.
• Pay for a data share bundle by sending the keyword that corresponds to the plan you wish to purchase (as in table above).

How does the customer recharge his account?
Three days before subscription expiration, customer will be sent an SMS every day advising for payment to be made.
Payment is made by:

• Recharge Card
• VTU
• Cheque

Once the airtime is credited, the payment will be automatically deducted from the phone’s airtime and validity of the subscription will be extended accordingly.
How can I recharge large sums on my mobile airtime to pay for the MTN SME Data Share Service?
You can use Quickteller by visitingwww.quickteller.com. Quickteller enables you to recharge your mobile airtime using your ATM card. To recharge large sums of money online at Quickteller, please follow the steps below first:

• Go to the nearest ATM, and insert your ATM card
• Select the ‘Quickteller’ option from the ATM menu screen
• Select ‘Pay Bills’
• Select ‘Others’
• Enter ‘322222” as the Payment Code
• Enter your phone number as the Customer Reference Number
• Follow the prompts to complete the transaction
• Service costs N1.

Once your number is registered you shall be able to recharge large sums using one-time passwords that will be sent to your phone to securely complete each transaction.
Can I top-up anytime during subscription cycle?
Yes, you can purchase any additional data share bundle plan multiple times within the month of existing subscription whether or not the data is exhausted. Data will be accumulated and expiry date will assume latest date of purchase.
Can I share data to another set of beneficiaries when I renew a bundle during the subscription period?
When sponsor renews or purchases a new plan during the subscription period, whether or not the current data bundle is exhausted, the sponsor shall have the ability to share data a maximum of 10 times specific to this new plan.
Can beneficiary receive data from multiple sponsors?
No. A beneficiary shall receive data from one sponsor at a time. Beneficiaries can however receive data from another sponsor when they exhaust the initial data.
Is there a limit to the number of times I can share data?
Yes. Each sponsor shall have the ability to share data a maximum of 10 times per bundle plan purchased.
Is there a limit to the number of times I can share data with a beneficiary?
No. One beneficiary shall be able to receive data multiple times from a sponsor, irrespective of the bundle plan the data is being shared from, as long as the sponsor has not reached his/ her maximum of 10 shares per bundle. Data shared to the beneficiary shall be accumulated and expiry date will reflect latest data share.
If the beneficiary receives multiple data from the same sponsor, will it accumulate?
Yes. the data will accumulate and assume the expiry date of the latest data bundle. However, unused data shall be forfeited once the bundle expires.
When will the data of the beneficiary expire?
When a Data Share Sponsor successfully shares a portion of his data bundle to a Data Share Beneficiary, the data shall expire on the same date as the originating data bundle. For example if the Sponsor’s originating bundle is a 30-day plan expiring 1st March 2014, then the  Data Share  created for the Beneficiary will also expire on 1st March 2014.
How do I share data with a beneficiary?
You can share data with any beneficiary by sending SMS below to 131 (or dial *461# and follow the prompt): 
SMESHARE <PhoneNumber> <DATASIZE> <PIN>
Please see format to enter for <DATASIZE>

Example	Data size customer wants to share	CORRECT DataSize to enter on phone
1	250MB	250
2	500MB	500
3	750MB	750
4	1GB	1000

NOTE: You can only share data in multiples of 250MB, 500MB, 750MB or 1GB. Sharing data in multiples of any other data sizes in not allowed.
For example to share 250MB of data with beneficiary using phone number 08031234567 and MTN PIN ‘1234’, then the following is sent as SMS to 131 (or Dial*461# and follow the prompt);
SMESHARE 08031234567 250 1234 = Correct Format!
SMESHARE 08031234567 200 1234 = Wrong Format
Can I share data sizes multiple times to the same beneficiary?
Yes, especially when the data size which you wish to share is larger than 1GB. To share data of larger sizes than 2GB for instance, you will need to share 1GB twice.
For example, to share 2GB of data with beneficiary using phone number 08031234567 and MTN PIN ‘1234’, simply send SMESHARE 08031234567 1000 1234twice to effectively share 2GB.
Does beneficiary’s phone number have to be an MTN phone number to enjoy the service?
Yes, the beneficiary’s phone number must be an MTN phone number on any service class.
How do I check my data balance?
You simply send DATABALANCE to 131 or dial *461#and follow the prompt
How do beneficiaries check their data balance?
The beneficiary checks own balance by sendingSHAREBALANCE to 131 or dialing *461# and following the prompt.
Can I use my existing MTN PIN for the MTN SME Data Share service? 

Yes.Harry J