Mobile Operators: it’s over between us

It's somewhat sad or even annoying that in South Africa people don't seem to see how these operators, MTN etc, calling these services OTT (Over The Top) or whatever other names, is actually an issue of net neutrality. Or at least I haven't seen this brought up despite it being ongoing and obvious from the start.

It's easy to go on about just how greedy and rotten it is, how it can be anti-competitive, preventing startups and future rivals, though it gets to frustrating to list and detail all that is wrong with doing or even trying this nonsense. All the while these massive companies are crying to big brother that they are being abused, that others are making money from their networks, that someone else is making money off data customer have already paid for.

One could easily come up with a number of perfect analogies which would be utterly insane reasons for some company to deserve more money. Perhaps courier companies should pay more to tire companies because they make money thanks to tires, it's not simply enough that they've paid for the tires, while we're at it maybe the car manufacturer deserves a cut, etc.

This net neutrality issue is far bigger than many realise and the internet/communication will only becomes bigger and more important part of our lives and the country as a whole. Having such companies being able to stifle or snuff out things is a serious problem with many major and wide ramifications.
 
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Disruptive innovation, a term of art coined by Clayton Christensen, describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors.

http://www.claytonchristensen.com/key-concepts/
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The cell phone was disruptive to the land line telephone.

VOIP was disruptive to the GSM frequency bands

Uber is disruptive to taxi services ....

Its called innovation, and its not going to stop ..... so the cell operators should ...... well ....... innovate.
 
The future is arriving faster and faster, and you can’t hold it back. The more you try, the more ways I will find to bypass you.

The more you try to keep me chained to your past, the more I will find ways to slip away into the future.
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^^ This.
 
Browser said:
It's somewhat sad or even annoying that in South Africa people don't seem to see how these operators, MTN etc, calling these services OTT (Over The Top) or whatever other names, is actually an issue of net neutrality. Or at least I haven't seen this brought up despite it being ongoing and obvious from the start.
...
One could easily come up with a number of perfect analogies which would be utterly insane reasons for some company to deserve more money. Perhaps courier companies should pay more to tire companies because they make money thanks to tires, it's not simply enough that they've paid for the tires, while we're at it maybe the car manufacturer deserves a cut, etc.

This net neutrality issue is far bigger than many realise and the internet/communication will only becomes bigger and more important part of our lives and the country as a whole. Having such companies being able to stifle or snuff out things is a serious problem with many major and wide ramifications.
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it has been raised as being central to the debate in Parliament and in the media
(as has the problem with using terminology like OTT....)
 
TEXTILE GUY said:
The cell phone was disruptive to the land line telephone.

VOIP was disruptive to the GSM frequency bands

Uber is disruptive to taxi services ....

Its called innovation, and its not going to stop ..... so the cell operators should ...... well ....... innovate.
Click to expand...

Can we buy this man a beer please
 
Is SA the only country where operators are vilifying "OTT" services? Googled and cant find reference to this having been challenged and upheld/dismissed in a more forward thinking country.
 
If a man has good corn or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell, or can make better chairs or knives, crucibles or church organs, than anybody else, you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house, though it be in the woods.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
I wholeheartedly agree with Arthur Goldstuck on this. Some things he has missed are the OOB rates that the mobile operators slap their loyal customers with, the fact that they have squirmed their way out of being held accountable under the consumer protection act. We have been ripped off for far too long and the loyalty is wearing thin.

The time is approaching when there will be pervasive connectivity via WiFi or similar technology, at a fraction of what we are forced to pay the mobile operators. When that time comes, they will see their revenue drop faster than a 3G "dongle" dropped down the Kimberley big hole, as their tired, broke(n) previously loyal customers move to better and cheaper options.
 
Browser said:
It's somewhat sad or even annoying that in South Africa people don't seem to see how these operators, MTN etc, calling these services OTT (Over The Top) or whatever other names, is actually an issue of net neutrality. ....
Click to expand...

"Net neutrality" is an abstract term that few people understand or care to research. At least with OTT there is a real and understandable example which can be used as a tool to clarify the debate. You should be thankful for it.
 
In the picture staff writer has Telkom and CellC included in the article. I understand it's a normal copy/pasta pic but I think it should be just the providers which are trying to raise a storm.
 
I've worked in IT for almost 20 years. Before this whole debacle started a few months ago I had never heard of the term "OTT". To me it is the most preposterous term ever invented. Fixed-line internet service providers have never referred to anything as "OTT" because to them EVERYTHING is OTT. It's only the mobile internet service providers who refer to anything that vaguely challenges their monopoly on voice and sms as OTT. This alone should indicate the depth of the conflict of interest that mobile ISP's have when it comes to providing internet access.

It really boils down to the question of what right does an ISP have to regulate what services you can or cannot use over your internet connection. Should cellphone service providers even be in the business of providing internet access if this is their attitude?
 
Next the sugar industry will be trying to sue Coca Cola and Pepsi for making a profit from the sugar they sold.
 
Picture a bleak and barren landscape.

Picture a group of five humans, three with red shirts, one with a blue shirt and the fifth one with a golden shirt.

Picture an abomination of a Tyranossaurus Rex roaring. A good roar which loosens the bowels and make your knees go all wibbly wobbly.

Picture the T-Rex swivelling its eyes all around.

Picture the T-Rex spying the men with its little eye.

Picture said roaring T-Rex running towards that group of men.

Now picture the chaos.

Now zoom in to the man with the golden shirt. He is holding some sort of device close to his face, and is shouting "Beam us up, Scotty!"

Zoom in closer on the device. Hear it say "Sorry, VoIP calls are not allowed on the Vodacom network"
 
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