Government’s telecommunications bill, if enacted without radical changes, will have a “devastating” effect on the ICT sector, destroying the incentives that have led to almost universal mobile coverage in South Africa.
Browsing: Icasa
Vodacom has rubbished the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill’s wholesale open-access provisions, describing them as “intrusive and onerous”.
MTN said on Tuesday that it will reach 90% population coverage with 4G/LTE technology in South Africa before the end of the year, outpacing rival Vodacom.
Telkom has become the first mobile operator in South Africa to implement fully communications regulator Icasa’s end-user subscriber service charter, which governs data expiry.
A settlement has been reached by communications regulator Icasa and mobile operators over the implementation of new rules regarding data expiry and rollover.
Telkom Group CEO Sipho Maseko has warned that data prices might not come down if South Africa chooses an auction as the model for licensing so-called “high-demand” spectrum.
Rain is prepared to discuss roaming arrangements with any operator, and the company’s agreement with Vodacom is non-exclusive, its CEO, Willem Roos, said on Friday.
A month before communications regulator Icasa is due in court to defend itself against legal action over its new data-expiry rules, Telkom has begun to implement the regulations.
Communications regulator Icasa failed in its regulatory duty when it allowed Vodacom and Rain to enter into a national roaming agreement, Cell C told the Competition Commission on Thursday.
Of the 21 countries in which MTN operates, its South African operation has the least spectrum assigned to it outside countries that face conflict situations.