Icasa has become a “political football”, according to the Democratic Alliance. Just weeks after it seemed certain that the communications regulator would report into the department of telecommunications and postal services, communications minister Faith Muthambi has told parliament that it
Vodacom is going to face an uphill battle in its attempt to get regulatory approval for its R7bn acquisition of Neotel. Its competitors, who are already publicly questioning the legality of the deal, are likely to lobby for it to be scuppered or at the very least have strict conditions imposed on it. “It will be challenged
It’s been more than six weeks since the election and nearly a month since President Jacob Zuma stunned the information and communications technology industry by dumping his hardworking communications minister, Yunus Carrim, and splitting the communications portfolio in two. Since then, there has been
MTN will not get access to Telkom’s valuable chunk of 4G/LTE radio frequency spectrum in the 2,3GHz band. The negotiations between the two companies, in which it is proposed that MTN takes over the financial and operational management of Telkom’s radio access network, specifically excludes
Government has backtracked on plans to have communications regulator Icasa report to the newly created department of communications, which also houses the SABC, Brand South Africa and other entities, a highly placed source with knowledge of the development has told TechCentral. Instead
Mmamoloko Kubayi has been named as the new chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on telecommunications and postal services. The position was effectively held previously by Eric Kholwane. The communications portfolio committee, which now looks after the SABC and communications regulator
In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell demonstrated how fines that are set too low create the wrong behaviour. Only if they are set right does the required modification occur. I suspect we have a case of this here in South Africa, with the recent universal service obligations imposed on our leading national telecommunications
Newly appointed Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane has appointed Marian Shinn as the party’s spokesman on telecommunications and postal services. Shinn had been shadow communications minister before President Jacob Zuma split the
There’s a nasty sting in the tail of Cell C’s new 66c/minute prepaid calling plan. The operator has quietly introduced an out-of-bundle charge of R2/MB for data on the plan, more than double the 99c/MB it charges on its “99c For Real” prepaid option. An observant TechCentral reader noticed the higher out-of-bundle rate
What was the president thinking? Last Sunday, Jacob Zuma sent shockwaves through South Africa’s technology industry by dumping his hardworking communications minister, Yunus Carrim – arguably the most competent person to fill the portfolio since the 1990s – and splitting the ministry in
