TechCentralTechCentral
    Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    NEWSLETTER
    • News

      Largest SA telecoms operators launch new industry association

      11 August 2022

      Analysis | Rain muddies the waters with approach to Telkom

      11 August 2022

      Rain wants to merge with Telkom: asks to pitch proposal to board

      11 August 2022

      MTN shares climb on robust Nigeria, SA performance

      11 August 2022

      MTN receives $35-million offer for Afghanistan unit

      11 August 2022
    • World

      Gaming industry’s fortunes fade as pandemic ends

      11 August 2022

      Disney tops Netflix in streaming subscribers

      11 August 2022

      Jumia says it’s past peak losses, shares jump

      10 August 2022

      Elon Musk sells $6.9-billion of Tesla to avoid Twitter fire sale

      10 August 2022

      Nvidia issues profit warning on slump in demand for graphics cards

      8 August 2022
    • In-depth

      African unicorn Flutterwave battles fires on multiple fronts

      11 August 2022

      The length of Earth’s days has been increasing – and no one knows why

      7 August 2022

      As Facebook fades, the Mad Men of advertising stage a comeback

      2 August 2022

      Crypto breaks the rules. That’s the point

      27 July 2022

      E-mail scams are getting chillingly personal

      17 July 2022
    • Podcasts

      Qush on infosec: why prevention is always better than cure

      11 August 2022

      e4’s Adri Führi on encouraging more women into tech careers

      10 August 2022

      How South Africa can woo more women into tech

      4 August 2022

      Book and check-in via WhatsApp? FlySafair is on it

      28 July 2022

      Interview: Why Dell’s next-gen PowerEdge servers change the game

      28 July 2022
    • Opinion

      SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

      19 July 2022

      No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

      11 July 2022

      Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

      8 July 2022

      South Africa can no longer rely on Eskom alone

      4 July 2022

      Has South Africa’s advertising industry lost its way?

      21 June 2022
    • Company Hubs
      • 1-grid
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Amplitude
      • Atvance Intellect
      • Axiz
      • BOATech
      • CallMiner
      • Digital Generation
      • E4
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • IBM
      • Kyocera Document Solutions
      • Microsoft
      • Nutanix
      • One Trust
      • Pinnacle
      • Skybox Security
      • SkyWire
      • Tarsus on Demand
      • Videri Digital
      • Zendesk
    • Sections
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud computing
      • Consumer electronics
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Energy
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Motoring and transport
      • Public sector
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home»News»Icasa probe of pay TV to be wide-ranging

    Icasa probe of pay TV to be wide-ranging

    News By Duncan McLeod24 June 2016
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email

    remote-tv-640

    Communications regulator Icasa has promised that its investigation into South Africa’s pay-television industry will be comprehensive and that it will work with the competition authorities during the probe.

    Icasa councilor Katharina Pillay, who will chair the committee that has been appointed to probe the matter, said at a media briefing on Friday that the authority has the “responsibility to ensure that all communications and broadcasting service markets are open, competitive and sustainable”.

    “This inquiry is intended to address concerns raised by industry stakeholders as well as for the authority to determine why, despite multiple attempts to introduce competition in the subscription broadcasting market, only two licensees have been able to launch services and the two entrants have been plagued by sustainability challenges and the others have not yet begun operations,” Pillay said in prepared remarks at the briefing.

    She said the launch of digital terrestrial television will create new opportunities for market entry. “However, the opportunities can only be exploited in a market that enables competition.”

    During the probe, Icasa will gather information through questionnaires with industry stakeholders, meetings and written submissions, which it expects will provide it with a snapshot of the market. It intends publishing a discussion document for public comment and later a findings document.

    Questionnaires will be published on Icasa’s website next week.

    Pillay will be supported on the committee by fellow councillors Nomvuyiso Batyi and Botlenyana Mokhele, who will serve as deputy chairs.

    Asked by TechCentral why Icasa is conducting the investigation only now, given a number of failures of new pay-TV entrants stretching over almost 10 years, Pillay said Icasa has been looking at the problem for some time. “We have done our own investigations — it’s been a process [and] regulatory processes are never quick,” she said.

    She added that Icasa needs to ensure it has done its research properly before it considers any interventions, or before it licenses new pay-TV operators.

    “There’s little point in licensing people if they can’t take off,” she said, but denied Icasa is placing a moratorium on the licensing of new players. “If you note our business plan for the current financial year, we don’t have [licensing on it], so we wouldn’t have been licensing anyway.”

    She said Icasa has a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding with the Competition Commission and will work with the commission during its investigations.  — © 2016 NewsCentral Media

    Botlenyana Mokhele Competition Commission Icasa Katharina Pillay Nomvuyiso Batyi
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email
    Previous ArticleEncryption will hurt the poor: MultiChoice
    Next Article MTN hits back at ‘white CEO’ critics

    Related Posts

    Largest SA telecoms operators launch new industry association

    11 August 2022

    Analysis | Rain muddies the waters with approach to Telkom

    11 August 2022

    Rain wants to merge with Telkom: asks to pitch proposal to board

    11 August 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Promoted

    Pricing Beyond CMYK: printers answer the FAQs

    11 August 2022

    How secure is your cloud?

    10 August 2022

    5 ways to make attack-path management more manageable

    10 August 2022
    Opinion

    SIU seeks to set aside R215-million IT tender

    19 July 2022

    No reason South Africa should have a shortage of electricity: Ramaphosa

    11 July 2022

    Ntshavheni’s bias against the private sector

    8 July 2022

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2022 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.