Vumatel Privacy Policy

Vumatel (Pty) Ltd ("Vuma") is committed to respecting the privacy of your personal information. To demonstrate its commitment, Vuma has created this privacy policy to communicate its intent to provide effective processes for the appropriate handling of such personal information and to comply with applicable legislation that governs the authentication, protection and disclosure of personal information. This privacy policy (“Policy”) may by updated from time to time.

This Policy explains how Vuma processes your personal information for its Mobile Application Service (“Mobile App”) hosted on Vumatel's infrastructure to provide you with reliable internet connectivity, network management tools, and comprehensive customer support services. Importantly, it is designed to provide complete information about our privacy practices in relation to our Mobile App.

This Policy explains the information that is collected through Mobile App and how it will be used.

By registering for the Mobile App you agree to be bound by this Policy

Responsible Parties

In relation to any personal information collected from you via the Mobile App, Vuma is the responsible party as contemplated in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"), in respect of the Mobile App.

How to contact us

Your opinion matters to us -- if you have any questions about this Policy, or have any queries around the processing of your personal information, you can email us at: informationofficer@vumatel.co.za or you can write to our privacy team at:

The Information Officer - Mr Francois Swart
Vumatel (Pty) Ltd
31 Georgian Crescent East
Bryanston
Johannesburg

Personal information we collect about you

Information we collect about you

Vuma will process personal information when you register on the Mobile App. The personal information collected will include phone number, email address, and account PIN. This will enable Vuma to recognise you during subsequent visits and provide customer support.

You can register your payment method on any Vuma Platform. Payment details such as bank account information for debit orders, account holder's name, and banking details will be collected should you elect automated payment options. Payments will be made through a third party payment portal, and you will need to agree to its terms and conditions before using those services.

Vuma will collect additional personal information when you register for fibre services on the Vuma website. The personal information collected may include identification number, service address, billing address, occupation, and installation preferences.

Vuma will facilitate the provision of fibre network services and may integrate with third-party service providers ("Service Partners"). When you utilise services from Service Partners, additional personal information may be requested to fulfil the service requirements. You hereby grant permission to Vuma to transmit necessary personal information to such Services Providers, where required. You may also need to give your permission for the collection of additional personal data relating to the provision of such services by Service Providers. Personal Information collected by third party Services Providers in not covered by this Policy.

Vuma will also collect personal information from third-party information sources to fulfil its obligations to comply with telecommunications regulations and customer verification requirements as mandated by ICASA and other regulatory authorities.

Vuma collects personal information when you first download or register on the Vuma App and set up your service profile.

We also collect network performance and usage analytics information on how customers use our fibre network services in order to improve network performance, optimise connectivity, and troubleshoot service issues.

We use a variety of analytics methods including what is commonly referred to as "Big data analytics". Big data analytics are mathematically driven analysis techniques on large and varied data sets (that is why it is "big" data) to uncover network performance patterns and service optimisation opportunities.

At Vuma we take governance of big data analytics seriously. Our data scientists are required to adhere to a Code of Ethics. We have a strict use case process that requires that privacy and data protection law checks are carried out before any use case commences. We also have strict rules ensuring that personal information is protected at the appropriate stage in the process.

Data gathered through the Vuma App may (but will not necessarily) be used too conduct certain analytics, for example:

Conduct network performance research and carry out connectivity analysis, including monitoring how customers use our network services and identifying optimization opportunities;
Optimize network infrastructure and determine how we might enhance service delivery and customer experience;
Monitor network health, predict maintenance requirements, and prevent service disruptions;
Analyse usage patterns to plan capacity upgrades and network expansion.
Improvement of the app and customer experience

How we use your personal information

Vuma processes and discloses your personal information for specific and limited purposes. These include:

Processing service registration details to provision fibre network services and establish connectivity at your premises.
Processing of account details to facilitate service delivery, network maintenance, and customer support services.
Processing of personal information to assess and handle customer queries, technical support requests, to develop and improve our products, services, communication methods and the functionality of Vuma Platforms.
Processing network performance data to optimize service delivery, ensure reliable connectivity, and maintain network quality standards.
Processing installation and equipment information to provide technical support, ensure service compatibility, and manage customer premises equipment.
As our customer, we will contact you to keep you informed about service updates, network maintenance, new connectivity options, service upgrades, and we may use your personal information to provide personalized service recommendations, only to the extent that you have not, at any stage, objected to receiving such service communications.
We may send you information about network services, technical updates, or service enhancements available through the Vuma app unless you have opted out.
If you have given your permission, we will also contact you to let you know about products and services of Vuma partner companies and other connectivity-related services which we think may interest you.
You can control your communication preferences at any time within the Vuma app.
Processing of personal information to create personalised service recommendations and network optimisation suggestions based on your usage patterns and service requirements.
Disclosure of personal information to network equipment suppliers and installation and maintenance contractors for the purposes of service provisioning, equipment installation, and technical support.
Disclosure of your service profile information to Service Partners to facilitate the provision of additional connectivity services when you consent to the disclosure.
Disclosure of personal information to upstream network and service providers as necessary to ensure connectivity and service delivery.
Vuma may share your personal information with authorised service partners and technical contractors who assist in providing network and analytics services, subject to strict confidentiality agreements and data protection requirements.

Where applicable, Vuma will share information about you

Vuma may also transfer and disclose your personal information to third parties who may process information on our behalf:

To comply with a legal obligation, including telecommunications regulations and ICASA requirements;
When we believe in good faith that applicable law requires it;
At the request of governmental authorities conducting an investigation;
To verify or enforce our "Terms of Use" or other applicable policies;
To detect and protect against network security threats, service abuse, or any technical or security vulnerabilities;
To respond to network emergencies or service disruptions; or otherwise;
To protect the rights, property, safety, or security of third parties, network infrastructure, and Vuma.

What about the security of your personal information?

Vuma takes the security of your personal information very seriously. Vuma takes every effort to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Our measures include implementing technology, policies and processes aimed at protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your personal information. We will update and refine these measures on an ongoing basis.

Vuma will maintain telecommunications industry security standards and implement appropriate network security measures to protect customer data during transmission and storage. Vuma will encrypt sensitive customer information and implement secure communication protocols.

You agree not to give or make available your means to access Vuma App services to any unauthorised individuals. You are responsible for all service usage you authorise using your account credentials. If you permit other persons to use your account you are responsible for any service usage they authorise. Vuma will not be liable for any claims where services were used by persons using your credentials.

Access to your personal information is only permitted among our employees, certain agents, and third party internet service providers on a need-to-know basis and subject to strict contractual confidentiality obligations when processed by third parties.

How long we keep your personal information for?

We may not retain your personal information any longer than is necessary for achieving the purpose for which your personal information was collected or subsequently processed, or as required by law. For example, where you utilise services on the Vuma App we will keep the data related to your service usage to ensure continued service delivery and after service termination, we will keep the personal information for a period which enables us to handle or respond to any complaints, queries or concerns relating to the service, unless:

The retention of your personal information is required or authorised by law.

We reasonably require your personal information for lawful purposes related to our telecommunications functions or activities.

The retention of your personal information is required by a contract that we enter into with you.

You or competent person consent to the retention of personal information relating to a minor.

Vuma will retain your registration records for a period of 90 days. After the 90 day period, your service data will be securely deleted from the live system.

Vuma may also retain your personal information for the following reasons:

Your personal information may also be retained so that we can continue to improve your experience with our services and to ensure that you receive benefits which are due to you.

We retain the personal information we collect for network optimisation purposes for as little time as possible, after which we employ measures to permanently delete it or anonymize it for statistical purposes on your instruction.

Keeping your personal information secure

We have specialised security teams who constantly review, improve, and ensure the implementation of appropriate, reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, accidental loss, disclosure, or destruction. We are required in terms of POPIA to notify you and the Information Regulator, if any of your personal information has been compromised.

Communications over the internet (such as emails) aren't secure unless they've been encrypted. Your communications may go through a number of countries before being delivered, as this is the nature of the internet.

We cannot accept responsibility for any unauthorised access or loss of personal information that is beyond our reasonable control.

We'll never ask for your secure personal or account information by an unsolicited means of communication. You're responsible for keeping your personal and account information secure and not sharing it with others.

The Vuma Platforms (including our website) may provide links to third-party websites and/applications. We cannot be responsible for the security and content of such third-party websites. You are therefore required to make sure you read that company's privacy and cookies policies before using or putting your personal information on their site.

The same applies to any third-party websites, applications or content you connect to using our products and services.

You may choose to disclose your information in certain ways such as social plug-ins (including those offered by Google, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest) or using third-party services that allow you to post reviews or other information publicly, and a third party could use that information.

Social plug-ins and social applications are operated by the social network themselves and are subject to their own terms of use and privacy and cookies policies. You should make sure you're familiar with these.

Your rights

At Vuma, we are committed to processing personal information honestly, ethically, with integrity, and always consistent with applicable laws and our values. Below we set out details on how you can exercise your rights. Please note, under certain circumstances these rights may be limited if we still have lawful grounds to process your personal information. If you have a question or cannot find the answer, please access the support functions on the Vuma app or contact the Information Officer.

Rights related to automated decision-making

Vuma may process your personal information using automated means for network optimisation, service provisioning, and technical support purposes. An automated decision is a decision that is made solely by automatic means, where no humans are involved in the decision-making process related to your personal information. Automated processing in the Vuma App is conducted to optimize network performance, manage service delivery, and provide technical support.

Right to correct personal information

If you become aware that any of the information we keep about you is incorrect or outdated, you can request that we edit your personal the details.

Right to access personal information

You have the right to request a record or description of personal information that we hold about you. This includes the right to request Vuma to confirm, free of charge, whether or not it holds any personal information about you; as well as information about the categories of third parties who have, or have had, access to your personal information. To make this request please contact our Information Officer.

Right to object to use of personal information

You have the right, in certain circumstances, to object to Vuma processing your personal information. In order for Vuma to provide you with fibre network services, Vuma is required to process your personal information which is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a service contract and to give effect to your registration for Vuma services and as such the processing of your personal information is mandatory and you may not object to same in order to continue using Vuma services.

Under certain circumstances, you have the right to object to certain types of processing, including processing for direct marketing (i.e. receiving emails or SMS from us about service updates or being contacted with service opportunities). If you no longer want to receive marketing messages from us, you can choose to opt out at any time within the Vuma App or by contact out support teams directly.

How to lodge a complaint

If you want to contact us about any of your rights or should you believe that Vuma has used your personal information contrary to applicable law, you undertake to first attempt to resolve any concerns with our Customer Services team at 010 746 8862. Kindly lodge your complaint by accessing the Vuma web homepage. We will do our best to help but if you are still unhappy, you can contact the Information Officer. If you are not satisfied with such process, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator at:

The Information Regulator (South Africa) Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg 2001

Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za Complaints email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za

Right to restrict use of your personal information

If you feel that the personal information we hold on you is inaccurate, please update your personal information by contact us, or you believe we shouldn't be processing your personal information, please contact our Customer Services team at 010 746 8862. In certain circumstances, for example where you contest the accuracy of your information, or where Vuma no longer requires your information for achieving its purpose but must maintain it for purposes of proof, you have the right to ask us to restrict processing.

Right to deletion

Vuma strives to only process and retain your personal information for as long as we need to in order to comply with the law or to provide you with the requested service. In certain circumstances, for example, where you indicate that your personal information is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading, or obtained unlawfully, you have the right to request that we erase your personal information that we hold. If you feel that we are retaining your personal information longer than we need, it is worth first checking that your service contract with us has been terminated, which you can do with Customer Services. If your service contract with us has been terminated, we may still have lawful grounds to process your personal information.

How does Vuma keep this privacy policy up to date?

Vuma will update this privacy policy when necessary to reflect customer feedback and changes in our products and services.

Vuma will update this privacy policy when necessary to reflect changes in telecommunications regulations, technology developments, and service offerings. If the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (including, for certain services, email notification of privacy policy changes). We will also keep prior versions of this privacy policy in an archive for your review. We will advise you of any changes to this Policy.