Unintended consequences of data bundle regulation

Jan said:
Unintended consequences of data bundle regulation

Attempts by ICASA to regulate the expiry dates of data bundles may hurt the poor.
Click to expand...

This sounds more like a threat then an actual fact!

Vodacom suggested an analysis of customer behaviour is needed before making a final decision on data bundles.
The majority of the data bundles it sold in 2017 were smaller and micro-bundles, including its daily and weekly offers.
Click to expand...

They have the data , and it shows they coining it! cause consumers have no actual choice so not sure what they on about the only reason they buy small is that's what they can afford and since it doesn't last very long no reason to buy in bulk - if more data was cheaper more people would buy - if it lasted longer more people would buy bigger bundles.
 
For me it is not really the price of data but the fact that it expires. Using Axxess with 3month rollover and it works great.
 
I have a fundamental problem with "free" Watsapp and whatever LIT Music and LIT Video is, or whatever "free" media streaming you want us to use because of whatever deals you made with whatever media steaming company or social network.

It is not free, it is subsidized, and it is exactly the sort of thing Americans have a problem with when their gov`t wants to scrap net neutrality.

Funny how they try to defend something that is wrong, with something else that is wrong... in the name of the poor...
 
Last edited:
Urist said:
I have a fundamental problem with "free" Watsapp and whatever LIT Music and LIT Video is, or whatever "free" media streaming you want us to use because of whatever deals you made with whatever media steaming company or social network.

It is not free, it is subsidized, and it is exactly the sort of thing Americans have a problem with when their gov`t wants to scrap net neutrality.
Click to expand...
I have the same probleem. Streaming bundles are cheaper, while it should be more expensive due to the prioritisation over other data, otherwise streaming can break. So how it can be cheaper?
 
I Had a deal with a friend. The bottom half of the bottle was mine and the top was his. I had to go through his to get to mine.
 
In reality all it would mean is that mobile providers would have to get more creative when it comes to low-end offerings.

A 3 year expiry period is absolutely ridiculous though. Who comes up with this crap?

3 months maybe?
 
Totempole said:
In reality all it would mean is that mobile providers would have to get more creative when it comes to low-end offerings.

A 3 year expiry period is absolutely ridiculous though. Who comes up with this crap?

3 months maybe?
Click to expand...

maybe its a negotiating tactic - go in high and let them come down to a more realistic offer like 6 months to a year
 
Anyone knows if this applies only to prepaid or bundle data or does it apply also to contract data (meaning that your unused data for one given month will rollover and be valid 3 years)?
 
It's the law

Totempole said:
In reality all it would mean is that mobile providers would have to get more creative when it comes to low-end offerings.

A 3 year expiry period is absolutely ridiculous though. Who comes up with this crap?

3 months maybe?
Click to expand...
3 years - it's the law - Section 63 (2) of the Consumer Protection Act states:

A prepaid certificate, card, credit, voucher or similar device contemplated in subsection (1) does not expire until the earlier of
(a) the date on which its full value has been redeemed in exchange for goods or services or future access to services; or
(b) three years after the date on which it was issued, or
(c) at the end of a longer or extended period agreed by the supplier at any time.
Click to expand...
Networks are breaking the law.
Networks were previously scamming consumers.
The CPA was introduced to stop this anti-consumer behavior of expiry prepaid certificate, card, credit, voucher or similar devices
The CPA is meant to protect consumers.
Networks are just showing the middle finger to the law.

FYI: Prepaid electricity does not expire - once the prepaid electricity voucher is loaded into the meter the units stay there until consumed.
 
system32 said:
3 years - it's the law - Section 63 (2) of the Consumer Protection Act states:

Networks are breaking the law.
Networks were previously scamming consumers.
The CPA was introduced to stop this anti-consumer behavior of expiry prepaid certificate, card, credit, voucher or similar devices
The CPA is meant to protect consumers.
Networks are just showing the middle finger to the law.

FYI: Prepaid electricity does not expire - once the prepaid electricity voucher is loaded into the meter the units stay there until consumed.
Click to expand...

I guess this answers my question.

Except is ICASA goes above and beyond what the CPA requires, contract data won’t rollover for 3 years.
 
I bought the Telkom prepaid LIT Video bundle which expired yesterday and I had only used 23 gigs of the 50 they gave me. It would be nice if it rolled over.

What they don't realise is that this non-expiry or expiry after three years will make people less data conscious meaning that their bundles will end running out more regularly meaning more top-ups.
 
/dev/null said:
I bought the Telkom prepaid LIT Video bundle which expired yesterday and I had only used 23 gigs of the 50 they gave me. It would be nice if it rolled over.

What they don't realise is that this non-expiry or expiry after three years will make people less data conscious meaning that their bundles will end running out more regularly meaning more top-ups.
Click to expand...

Possibly but I'd wager that it would smooth out the usage as well. If you could buy (say) 50 GB and use when you need it, then you wouldn't modify your behaviour as to what time of the month it is. At the moment, I deliberately use much more in the last week of the month because I want to get my money's worth... which suggests to me that there should be a surge in network saturation towards the end of the month when peoples' bundles are about to run out.

Actually thinking about it, I'd be curious to know if anyone has some statistics on that.
 
silkenphoenixx said:
When was this act enacted? If it is illegal, how have the networks gotten away with it for so long? Don't they have legal departments that should have informed them of this?
Click to expand...

I think that section states that once you have bought an airtime voucher you can keep it in your wallet for no more than three years before using the numbers/code to "redeem" your airtime.
 
silkenphoenixx said:
Possibly but I'd wager that it would smooth out the usage as well. If you could buy (say) 50 GB and use when you need it, then you wouldn't modify your behaviour as to what time of the month it is. At the moment, I deliberately use much more in the last week of the month because I want to get my money's worth... which suggests to me that there should be a surge in network saturation towards the end of the month when peoples' bundles are about to run out.

Actually thinking about it, I'd be curious to know if anyone has some statistics on that.
Click to expand...

True, when I checked my balance a week ago I saw that I had only used 8 gigs of the 50 so I ramped up my Youtube viewing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X