{"id":73374,"date":"2013-03-15T14:09:05","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T12:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=73374"},"modified":"2013-03-18T10:25:30","modified_gmt":"2013-03-18T08:25:30","slug":"cell-c-waspa-sms-battle-looming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/cellular\/73374-cell-c-waspa-sms-battle-looming.html","title":{"rendered":"Cell C WASPA SMS battle looming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wireless Application Service Providers\u2019 Association (WASPA<\/a>) is planning to file a complaint against Cell C<\/a> with the Competition Commission for allegedly providing preferential services and prices to a single SMS provider.<\/p>\n

Many WASPs feel aggrieved that Cell C is apparently providing Blue Label Telecoms<\/a> owned Cellfind<\/a> better prices and wholesale SMS services.<\/p>\n

WASPA\u2019s management has subsequently agreed to lodge a complaint against Cell C. This was done at the organisation\u2019s AGM on 14 March 2013.<\/p>\n

One WASPA member told MyBroadband that this alleged \u2018special deal\u2019 with Blue Label Telecoms may stem from Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig<\/a>\u2019s close relationship with the company.<\/p>\n

According to a Blue Label Telecoms article, former Vodacom<\/a> CEO Alan Knott-Craig \u2013 now head of Cell C \u2013 played a key role in Blue Label\u2019s early successes.<\/p>\n

Cell C denies acting anti-competitively<\/h3>\n

In a letter to WASPA, Cell C denied that it acted anti-competitively.<\/p>\n

Cell C explained that it was conducting a \u2018technical trial\u2019 with one of its WASPs which has been successfully concluded.<\/p>\n

Cell C said that it could not provide similar services to other WASPs during this trial phase, because it posed a risk to its network and its business.<\/p>\n

Cell C said it is planning to implement a new commercial model for WASPs, which will be applied in a uniform manner.<\/p>\n

The mobile firm added that it has been meeting with WASPs about new commercial arrangements, and said it was disappointed that none of the WASPs raised this issue at the AGM.<\/p>\n

\u201cCell C does not consider there to be any merit in the allegations of anti-competitive activity on its part and will vehemently resist any action that WASPA will bring in this regard,\u201d the operator said.<\/p>\n

Cell C added that it\u00a0is concerned that the WASPA organisation is being used as a means to further the interests of certain WASPs.<\/p>\n

More news on Cell C<\/h3>\n

Cell C SMS change opens can of worms<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

SMS pricing change for SA looming?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Rivals \u201cnowhere near\u201d Cell C on prices: Blue Label<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cell C bullied on SMS plans: Knott-Craig<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cell C is set for a showdown with industry body WASPA for allegedly providing preferential treatment to a single provider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":73376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_threads_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[681,1017,355,35,1285],"class_list":["post-73374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cellular","tag-alan-knott-craig","tag-blue-label-telecoms","tag-cell-c","tag-headline","tag-waspa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73374"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73374"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73402,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73374\/revisions\/73402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}