The Competition Commission says data must fall; Vodacom and MTN say they need more spectrum. Ten years after communications regulator Icasa tried to license new spectrum, it still hasn’t happened.
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The Competition Commission’s final report on the data services market in South Africa is, frankly, an embarrassment. It amounts to regulatory overreach and dangerous populism that could threaten billions of rand in planned investments in the coming years. By Duncan McLeod.
Communications regulator Icasa has said there is insufficient competition in aspects of the delivery of mobile broadband in South Africa.
Ahead of publication of the Competition Commission’s final report flowing from its inquiry in the data services market, expected later on Monday, TechCentral republishes this column from editor Duncan McLeod.
Remgro-controlled CIVH is quietly becoming a serious player in South Africa’s telecoms landscape – one that has the potential, if it executes well on its plans, to become a major contender in a rapidly shifting sector.
Outgoing Vodacom Group chief technology officer Andries Delport will join CIVH as CTO where he will drive the strategy around the Remgro-controlled group’s big expansion plans in the telecommunications sector.
Communications regulator Icasa said on Tuesday that it will probe the just-signed expanded roaming agreement between MTN South Africa and Cell C.
Telkom said that it expects that the “parties involved” will have considered the newly announced, much-expanded roaming agreement between Cell C and MTN South Africa “in the context of the discussions with Telkom”.
Telkom CEO Sipho Maseko said communications regulator Icasa is making a grave mistake in the way it proposes to license access to the 5G-suitable 3.5GHz radio frequency spectrum band.
Vodacom spent almost R4.8-billion on expanding and improving its network in South Africa in the six months to 30 September 2018, an 18.2% jump from the same period a year ago.