New mobile data and network rules proposed

J

Jamie McKane

MyBroadband Journalist
Joined
Mar 2, 2016
Messages
7,000
Reaction score
1,008
New mobile data and network rules proposed

The Competition Commission has released a provisional report on its Data Services Market Inquiry, in which it prescribed new rules for mobile networks.

The inquiry seeks to understand features in the market and the value chain that may cause high prices for data services, and makes recommendations based on this.
 
It said that while more spectrum may reduce operator costs, it won’t force companies to drop prices unless there are competitive pressures to do so.
Click to expand...
 
The commission further stated that South Africa’s data pricing is “anti-poor” and lacks transparency.
...
Networks should zero-rate public benefit and educational institution websites.
Click to expand...
We get free electricity.
We get free water.
We get free etolls.
We get free pikitup up.
We get free social grants.
We get free education.
We demand free data.
 
Last edited:
The government should look to provide free public Wi-Fi and use their own infrastructure to reduce the costs of investment and both backhaul and last-mile infrastructure in lower-income areas.
Click to expand...
1) There is no such thing as "their own" - it's taxpayer own.
You can't use taxpayer funds to fight private sector companies.
See how SAA using taxpayer money has killed a number of good airlines in ZA.
See how Eskom using taxpayer money is preventing competition.
We/taxpayers just end up poorer.

2) Govt and Metro's have tried to do infrastructure - not a good usage of taxypayer money.
IIRC Telkom was 100% Govt and Telkom very successfully blocked ADSL and WAN and inter-contenental fibre competition for many years (MyBB nee MyADSL was setup to document this abuse by Telkom)
Sentech (another 100% Govt department) had a 3G offering MyWireless
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/wireless/10647-sentech-mywireless-rip.html
Cost the taxpayer a lot of money and did not work.
 
Report by a Competition Commission and it has nothing to say about competition.

It doesn't deserve comments.
 
Finally, paying R149 for 1 gig for more than five years which is 15mins of YouTube nowdays , imagine an orphan in rural areas wants to do research goes to her granny for R149 to be buy 1 gig, cellphone networks make high profits from people in rural areas that account for over 60% of South african population, the people must boycott these high prices, finally someone is thinking of poor people which are the people who make all networks profitable, to much profit by mtn scum and vodacrap, who refused to bring down prices of data until telkom launched the big deal of the month!
 
We want more spectrum, end of April was promised as a dead line.
 
Another thread that is going to be populated by people who have no idea of what they are talking about -- on both sides of the argument. See this post #6 for an example of truly poor historical knowledge about telecom & broadcasting services in SA.
 
Last edited:
Geoff.D said:
Another thread that is going to be populated by people who have no idea of what they are talking about...
Click to expand...
Love the irony.

Let's lift the debate then. What should be done?

I'm with the competition commission here on the high prices, but this is driven by lack of competition - which is down to:
- SA not being a good place to invest - high cost of capital, economy not growing
- costs rising - power problems, corruption, crime
- poor regulation - just more weak recommendations and reports here, ICASA not being clear and NO digital dividend!

Until someone can make it more win+win as an environment to build a network, then I can see SA either keeping high prices or starting to fall behind on new networks (5G).

RAIN should be an example, but never going to cover the country. Maybe Rural guys need to start organising community methods instead?
 
Last edited:
richjdavies said:
RAIN should be an example, but never going to cover the country. Maybe Rural guys need to start organising community methods instead?
Click to expand...
No network can cover the whole country.
 
Swa said:
No network can cover the whole country.
Click to expand...
Okay - to rephrase - cover it in the way MTN and Vodacom cover the country (98% of population?)

After that there are ways for individual communities to recover spectrum and run a community mobile network - I was told this is being done in some townships in the South Peninsula of Cape Town...

How about The Things Network for Mobile :)
 
Why is it only telecomms that is so heavily regulated? How are these companies supposed to survive and be profitable in future? Especially the smaller players with shallow pockets and low margins?

Nobody regulates the price of food, or cars or houses or anything else. But it's always data data data that gets nailed time and time again.

Yes there is room for prices to come down, but Government is doing nothing to help the industry (e.g. spectrum).
 
Jamie McKane said:
New mobile data and network rules proposed
The Competition Commission has released a provisional report on its Data Services Market Inquiry, in which it prescribed new rules for mobile networks.
The inquiry seeks to understand features in the market and the value chain that may cause high prices for data services, and makes recommendations based on this.
Click to expand...
There is a FAR GREATER irony here -- which "staff-writer" is perhaps not aware of

"SCRIBD"like "PINTEREST" hoover up FREE content from the web -- and idiots that upload to their services
and then
Put this FREE data ( with the help of the Internet behemoths ) behind a REGISTRATION -- or -- CHARGE
SO
"staff-writer"
PLEASE indicate where this document can be downloaded WITHOUT having to REGISTER / Login
 
The big 2 networks have gotten away with this for far too long.
Its time to take away the monopoly and force them to stop raping the public
Look how long it took VC to change the OOB ?
Pathetic excuses
 
Gaz{M} said:
Why is it only telecoms that is so heavily regulated?
Click to expand...
Answer: Licensed Spectrum...

The SA government (like many others since) decided to sell the airwaves as a monopoly [learned not that long ago that SA was one of the first countries to do this!]. So it has to be regulated BECAUSE it is a monopoly that was sold.

You can't set up a new mobile network in any regulated spectrum... without first licensing that spectrum (which by the way it is ALL already owned by someone else!). So that's why it's not like food.

Makes some sense... but does mean you need to keep it competitive, or like any monopoly/oligopoly the suppliers will set prices too high and restrict supply.
 
marine1 said:
The big 2 networks have gotten away with this for far too long.
Its time to take away the monopoly and force them to stop raping the public
Look how long it took VC to change the OOB ?
Pathetic excuses
Click to expand...
Have you seen how they gave implemented it?
OOB still happening half the time it is disabled.

And they've hidden the menus somewhere
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X