{"id":80141,"date":"2013-06-13T14:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=80141"},"modified":"2013-06-13T14:02:01","modified_gmt":"2013-06-13T12:02:01","slug":"free-airtime-demands-operators-respond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/cellular\/80141-free-airtime-demands-operators-respond.html","title":{"rendered":"Free airtime demands: operators respond"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Right2Know\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/536853-Right2Know\">Right2Know<\/a>, the organisation behind the campaign against the Protection of State Information, or \u201cSecrecy\u201d Bill, recently demanded a \u201cfree basic amount of airtime and data\u201d from South Africa\u2019s mobile network operators as part of its \u201cRight2Call\u201d, or Vula\u2019ma Connexion campaign.<\/p>\n<p>According to Right2Know, \u201cthe high cost of airtime and data undermines the democratising potential of the mobile network.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked about Right2Know\u2019s demands <a title=\"Vodacom\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/227063-Vodacom\">Vodacom<\/a> and <a title=\"MTN\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/226943-MTN\">MTN<\/a> confirmed that they received a memorandum from the group on 3 May 2013. Right2Know published the following summary of their demands:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>Communications must be universal. Everyone has a right to communications that are available and affordable;<\/li>\n<li>Everyone should get a free basic amount of airtime and data the same way that we have free basic water and electricity;<\/li>\n<li>All SMS\u2019s should be free as they cost the operators almost nothing to transmit;<\/li>\n<li>ICASA must regulate the cost of airtime and data to stop profiteering;<\/li>\n<li>Pre-paid communication users should not cross subsidise post-paid users;<\/li>\n<li>SMS and data bundles should not expire if they are unused;<\/li>\n<li>Cellphone companies must improve the quality of service, including network outages, dropped calls, calls that don\u2019t connect, and data coverage, etc;<\/li>\n<li>The range of numbers that are free to call (like police and ambulance) should be increased to include our children\u2019s schools, hospitals, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_53093\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53093\" class=\"size-full wp-image-53093\" alt=\"Robert Madzonga\" src=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Robert-Madzonga.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Robert-Madzonga.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Robert-Madzonga-100x66.jpg 100w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Robert-Madzonga-185x123.jpg 185w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Robert-Madzonga-250x166.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-53093\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert Madzonga<\/p><\/div>\n<p>MTN SA\u2019s chief corporate services officer, <a title=\"Robert Madzonga\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/343371-Robert-Madzonga\">Robert Madzonga<\/a>, said it highlighted to Right2Know that it operates in a regulated market and has always fully complied with the regulations issued by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (<a title=\"ICASA\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/226385-ICASA\">ICASA<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Madzonga said they also highlighted their contribution towards lowering of telecommunication costs.<\/p>\n<p>Vodacom spokesperson <a title=\"Richard Boorman\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/244557-Richard-Boorman\">Richard Boorman<\/a> offered a similar response to questions about the Right2Call campaign, saying that Vodacom covers almost the whole South African population with its voice network.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d say that we\u2019re most definitely doing our part to ensure that everyone has access,\u201d Boorman said. \u201cThe challenge from here is making sure that wherever we have voice coverage, that we also have data coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To that end Vodacom has been investing around R7-billion in its network per year over the last few years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019d certainly appreciate any support the campaign could give to raise awareness about the conditions conducive to further investment and breaking down some of the barriers to that investment,\u201d Boorman said.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_65030\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65030\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65030\" alt=\"Richard Boorman\" src=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Richard-Boorman.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Richard-Boorman.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Richard-Boorman-100x66.jpg 100w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Richard-Boorman-185x123.jpg 185w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Richard-Boorman-250x166.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-65030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Richard Boorman<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Boorman then went on to address our questions regarding Right2Know\u2019s demands:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. What effect would it have if the first 5 demands were met?<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[It is] very difficult to speculate, but it would run counter to the market economy principle in South Africa.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>2. Is their assertion that pre-paid subscribers cross-subsidise post-paid subscribers accurate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I don\u2019t think you can make that determination in either direction. The pricing and offers vary on both pre-paid and post-paid. What you can say is that the average effective price per minute on pre-paid over the last 12 months was R0.72. For contract this number is significantly higher because the pricing includes the cost of providing a handset.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>3. Is their assertion accurate that SMS costs \u201calmost nothing\u201d to transmit?<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>It ignores the fact that the network has to be built and maintained and the entire corporate infrastructure supported for anything to be transmitted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>4. Would you consider your QoS as good?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In response to this question, Vodacom provided the full text of its response to Right2Know, which contained the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The second point you bring up is network quality and you say that \u201cVodacom has consistently failed to meet ICASA\u2019s quality\u2013of-service targets\u201d. I\u2019m pleased to be able to say that the opposite is in fact true and that Vodacom has consistently exceeded ICASA\u2019s prescribed quality of service targets.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_53919\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53919\" class=\"size-full wp-image-53919\" alt=\"Shaun Dewberry\" src=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Shaun-Dewberry-Landscape-600x400.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Shaun-Dewberry-Landscape-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Shaun-Dewberry-Landscape-600x400-100x66.jpg 100w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Shaun-Dewberry-Landscape-600x400-185x123.jpg 185w, https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Shaun-Dewberry-Landscape-600x400-250x167.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-53919\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shaun Dewberry<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Data roll-over<\/h3>\n<p>We didn\u2019t ask specifically about the expiration of data bundles as South Africa\u2019s network operators and Internet service providers have previously responded to these questions, explaining that data bundles that roll over indefinitely could cause prices to increase.<\/p>\n<p>In its response to Right2Know, Vodacom wrote: \u201cIf there is no indication of when consumers plan to use the data, service providers will need to increase capacity quite significantly, with resultant increases in costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps a more realistic demand would have been to support <a title=\"Shaun Dewberry\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/443167-Shaun-Dewberry\">Shaun Dewberry<\/a>\u2019s campaign to have the business rules around bundle depletion changed.<\/p>\n<p>Currently <a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadband\/64864-you-are-losing-out-on-mobile-data.html\">MTN and Vodacom give priority to recurring monthly data bundles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This means that if you topped up with a once-off data bundle but didn\u2019t finish it before the start of your next billing cycle, your newer recurring data bundle gets used before the previous top up bundle is depleted. This means that the top up data bundle might expire before you have a chance to use it all.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Cell C\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/213919-Cell-C\">Cell C<\/a> and <a title=\"Telkom Mobile\" href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/vb\/showthread.php\/515780-Telkom-Mobile\">Telkom Mobile<\/a> were asked for their take on the Right2Know demands, but did not respond by the time of publication.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"related\">More on mobile costs in South Africa<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadband\/79859-data-promotion-prices-vodacom-vs-mtn-vs-cell-c-vs-telkom-mobile.html\"><strong>Data promotion prices: Vodacom vs MTN vs Cell C vs Telkom Mobile<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/telecoms\/79871-cheaper-price-project-icasa-deadline-rundown.html\"><strong>Cheaper price project: ICASA deadline rundown<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/telecoms\/79861-give-us-free-airtime-data-sms-right2know.html\"><strong>Give us free airtime, data, SMS: Right2Know<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/cellular\/79177-getting-the-best-cellular-package-beware-raw-deals.html\"><strong>Getting the best cellular package, beware raw deals<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadband\/41907-should-your-broadband-data-expire.html\"><strong>Should your broadband data expire?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadband\/39781-data-rollover-and-the-cpa.html\"><strong>Data rollover and the CPA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MTN and Vodacom have responded to demands from the Right2Know for a free basic amount of airtime and data<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":79863,"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":[35,42,1167,19841,19883,12831,41],"class_list":["post-80141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cellular","tag-headline","tag-mtn","tag-richard-boorman","tag-right2know","tag-rovert-madzonga","tag-shaun-dewberry","tag-vodacom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80141"}],"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\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80141"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80155,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80141\/revisions\/80155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}