Because South Africa's network operators don't work in good faith, standards protecting low-income consumers from abuse which increases their data costs is just as important legally challenging the cost of data. 

Today, communications authority ICASA released its final regulations to support bringing down the cost of communication. As an organisation that concerned primarily with issues affecting the lives of low-income Black women, our primary focus on the regulations has been on issues around mobile data in particular. 

Because South Africa’s network operators don’t work in good faith, standards protecting low-income consumers from abuse which increases their data costs is just as important legally challenging the cost of data. 

“We strongly argued for measures that take into account the practices of low-income consumers which ICASA has done” says amandla.mobi Executive Director, Koketso Moeti.

“While many are disappointed that the regulations do not speak directly to the cost of data, at amandla.mobi we see the regulations as an important way of stopping predatory networks from profiteering from the poor who are particularly affected by some of the practices addressed”  

The submission of the organisation, which was supported by over 30, 000 people called for the protection of small bundle users from bill shock as this groups is much more likely to fall into out of bundle rates. The announcement that users will have to opt-in is exactly what was desired. 

The organisation has also called for data roll-over to ensure that consumers get value for money and are able to have their data moved to the next allocation period if unused instead of it expiring as was done by network operators, which ICASA has also provided for in its final regulations. But not only does it ensure value for money, it also protects the small, innovative packages used by low-income users. 

We are however disappointed that our call for a limit on price differentials between small and big bundles per MB was not included, but it is an issue we have been taking up in separate processes. We will continue to put pressure on this because for us it’s not only about data falling, but in particular it must fall for the poor who pay much more for data than the rich.

— 

Ends/

For more information or interviews, contact:

Koketso Moeti

Executive Director

amandla.mobi

Mobile: +27 82 583 5869 | Twitter: (@AmandlaMobi) |