WhatsApp and Facebook should be regulated in South Africa: MTN

Oh, and if foreign ownership of the OTT's is such an issue, then I guess that Vodafone will also be forced to sell it's holding in Vodacom to local Shareholders.

After all, we can't have all of those dividends flowing out of South Africa, now can we ???
 
supersunbird said:
Don't be disingenuous, this did not just spontaneously come from government, obviously Vodacom and MTN are lobbying government.

1. That's governments business and concern, and none of your concern.

2. Vodacom is a licenced telecoms provider (don't know the correct technical term). With that you have rights and responsibilities and spectrum assigned and what not, it also means you are legally protected from easy competition, but for that you pay the price of regulation. OTT players have NONE of this protection and rights, so why must they be regulated?

3. I don't use FB on any cellular device and whatsapp has no ads and I've used it free for 4 years. And if money flows out, again, its government and treasuries business and not yours.
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+1

You guys are glorified isps now, get used to it. The days of voice and sms will come to an end and data is all you will have left. I don't see mweb or telkom bitching?
 
supersunbird said:
Don't be disingenuous, this did not just spontaneously come from government, obviously Vodacom and MTN are lobbying government.

1. That's governments business and concern, and none of your concern.

2. Vodacom is a licenced telecoms provider (don't know the correct technical term). With that you have rights and responsibilities and spectrum assigned and what not, it also means you are legally protected from easy competition, but for that you pay the price of regulation. OTT players have NONE of this protection and rights, so why must they be regulated?

3. I don't use FB on any cellular device and whatsapp has no ads and I've used it free for 4 years. And if money flows out, again, its government and treasuries business and not yours.
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I suggest you try and follow what is happening with regulators around the world including the EU where SA tends to take its cue from.

Your conspiracy theories just make you come across as uneducated on the topic.
 
Jola said:
Oh, and if foreign ownership of the OTT's is such an issue, then I guess that Vodafone will also be forced to sell it's holding in Vodacom to local Shareholders.
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You saying Vodacom is not paying taxes locally?

Never knew that. :rolleyes:
 
Turgon said:
Thanks Jannie for placing legal intercept first in your list! Hopefully this will indeed reduce the confusion of readers.



Icyrus! Welcome to the Fellowship! Onwards to the Cracks of Doom!



Jannie, can you provide "good reasons" beyond "people might use Telegram (or other non-regulated communications forum) to plan or execute a scary-attack on the Free Peoples of Far Harad?".

Where do we draw the line?

"Free speech": to me (and icyrus it appears), it has the additional meaning that I should be able to interface freely with other human beings, without concern for sneaky government voyeurs or their corporate overlords? How soon until our living rooms become "regulated communication forums"?

After all, terrorism didn't suddenly emerge as a world phenomenon AFTER the invention of cellphones or other electronic mediums.
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Agree with you on 'free speech'. If you think about it, it's not really any skin of the MNOs backs. But governments typically have a different view.
 
jannievanzyl said:
I think there's a lot of confusion
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Tell me about it ; I've got no clue.

I'm just wondering what it all means for us?
What changes? Do we pay more money?
Or does life go on for the end user?
 
jannievanzyl said:
I suggest you try and follow what is happening with regulators around the world including the EU where SA tends to take its cue from.

Your conspiracy theories just make you come across as uneducated on the topic.
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Conspiracy theories? What are you on about? I raised points against your spin. Cant argue against them I guess?

Vodacom made much more out of my whatsapping than whatsapp has ever made (nothing) .

I just realised, I can send PMs on the forum, does the forum also need regulation? And what about e-mail?

Maybe you can enlighten us to what is happening overseas?
 
Replace OTT with Whatsapp and we're getting closer to the truth.
 
supersunbird said:
Another question:

So Vodacom just wants OTTs to be regulated? Expect no money from them going over your network?
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I still don't see the issue. Data needs to be used for these apps to work. Data which you pay the networks for (of which they OOB you and in some cases restrict or charge you OOB for using VOIP apps). How are they losing? SMS is dead, it's only used for marketing spam now. And the tax issue? Do Netflix pay tax here? Does Steam?
 
jannievanzyl said:
I suggest you try and follow what is happening with regulators around the world including the EU where SA tends to take its cue from.
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If you want to start quoting EU regulators then I guess that you are in the process of dropping roaming charges ???
 
These VC arguments are all BS.

They have been absolutely screwing the poor in this country with overpriced SMS's, and now they want to complain when the market starts to drop away because there are alternatives to the exploitation.
 
jannievanzyl said:
I suggest you try and follow what is happening with regulators around the world including the EU where SA tends to take its cue from.
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I can't say I've noticed any Euro networks talking about regulating Whatsapp or similar. I can remember that Iran was trying, but I'm sure you know they aren't a European country?

It seems many networks in European countries are calling for the exact opposite of you, less regulation.

The bloc's telecom firms such as Orange and Deutsche Telekom have long called for lighter-touch regulation, after years of declining revenues and competition from new entrants, to enable them to invest in network upgrades.

Telecom companies point to increased competition from services such as Skype (owned by Microsoft) and online messaging as a reason for easing the regulatory burden.
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http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-eu-telecomunications-idUKKBN0N820R20150417

Policy executives from Orange, Deutsche Telekom and BT urged a step back in regulations on Tuesday (23 June), arguing they discourage private investment.

Less regulation will drive investment and balance out loopholes tipped in favour of Internet competitors like Skype or WhatsApp, which are offering services for free, the representatives from the big three telco firms argued at the annual conference of telecoms association ETNO.

The European Commission seemed to agree, saying its priority was to promote cash flow to build up broadband infrastructure run by big telco firms
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http://www.euractiv.com/sections/in...-lighter-regulation-network-investment-315678
 
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jannievanzyl said:
I suggest you try and follow what is happening with regulators around the world including the EU where SA tends to take its cue from.
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I'm paying <500 zar equivalent for uncapped unshaped LTE. Oh and that allows tethering...

Regulators? Guess that depends on the jurisdiction. The local crowd is running with minimal rules & it is obviously working very well as per above.

ZA providers wanting to charge extra on top of the overpriced data rates for facebook and what not...eh f that.

The only justification I can see is that SA is still suffering from data starvation...you tell an SA oke they have uncapped unshaped LTE and they'll try to download the entire internet. Locals here don't even know what that means & barely change their usage patterns.
 
Those calling for more regulation are no friends of the free market. So few South African businesses, it seems, are lovers of liberty. So often, they appeal to Caesar to protect them from competition rather than asking Caesar to stop regulating them so that they can be free to provide competitive services to their customers. I am disappointed in the management of these large SA enterprises - They have missed an opportunity to make a stand for Liberty.
 
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