Poor will be silenced if cell fees are cut (Vodacom)

How can MTN/Vodacom say thing like:
MTN has also warned that it could not afford to serve the low-spending customers who send 12-million “call me” messages every day on its network if the interconnection fees are slashed.
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They rake in billions in profit every year, they sponsor just about every public incentive and sport in the country, yet they barf out comments like this?

Do they expect us to feel sorry for them? We pay premium for an overcharged service, which has been lank unstable the last couple of weeks, mind you. Makes me wonder where the billions if profit goes to because it's not into network stability/uptime, which is essence their primary overcharged offering...

Guess the Bulls need all the help they can get....hehehe
 
No more Please call mes? W00t! Please slash interconnect fees now.

If I get one more spate of Please Call Me messages from some arb number, every night at the same time, I will puke.

I already blocked the Vodacom ones (I forget how, but someone on this forum knew - I tend to think it was Bwana? not sure) now I just need to block Major Telephonic Nuisance and I should be fine.
 
Moederloos said:
No more Please call mes? W00t! Please slash interconnect fees now.

If I get one more spate of Please Call Me messages from some arb number, every night at the same time, I will puke.

I already blocked the Vodacom ones (I forget how, but someone on this forum knew - I tend to think it was Bwana? not sure) now I just need to block Major Telephonic Nuisance and I should be fine.
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Phone the number at 03:00 in the morning and play back uMshini Wani. Do this about 5 times every night. The "please call me's" mysteriously cease thereafter.
 
Ok so basically this is blackmail put in a very subtle way. I hope ICASA won't be intimidated here the way Telkom did when they threatened to pull the plug on ADSL.
 
derekc said:
Ok so basically this is blackmail put in a very subtle way. I hope ICASA won't be intimidated here the way Telkom did when they threatened to pull the plug on ADSL.
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Which is exactly why this part worries me.

Icasa councillor Tracy Cohen said that the authority did not want to intervene if it would destroy people’s constitutional right to communicate.

It was difficult to know how Icasa should move forward against arguments that cutting the fees could prevent unconnected people from ever getting connected, she said.
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Icasa councillor Tracy Cohen said that the authority did not want to intervene if it would destroy people’s constitutional right to communicate.

It was difficult to know how Icasa should move forward against arguments that cutting the fees could prevent unconnected people from ever getting connected, she said.
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Let me make sure I get this right.
CHEAPER prices would prevent POORER people from communicating.
Ok, makes sense. About as much sense as safety goggles on a banana.
 
Drop the interconnection fees and lower prices. If the prices were lower maybe those people wasting time on a call me message would be able to afford to make the call!

And if sending Callme messages are part of the constitutional right of people to communicate, the CHEAP AFFORDABLE calls must be at the top of the list!
 
Every thing to protect their fat pockets which is mainy paid by corporate south africa(because a lot of people probably use companies phones to call our so called poorer cousins) which means it pushes up the cost of doing business in south africa which means higher prices in other sectors as well
 
Moederloos said:
Let me make sure I get this right.
CHEAPER prices would prevent POORER people from communicating.
Ok, makes sense. About as much sense as safety goggles on a banana.
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Don't you get it? It's like playing the race card. This country is so sensitive about things like race and poverty, so do you blame the Cell operators for exploiting it?
 
lcbxx said:
Don't you get it? It's like playing the race card. This country is so sensitive about things like race and poverty, so do you blame the Cell operators for exploiting it?
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Honestly, no. They are a business. I blame ICASA for perpetuating it though.
 
What these cell operator don't understand or refuse to admit is that if the 25% of prepaid customers can make calls, it would prob mean more revenue. Economies of scale of course. Those calls made will pay for their network.

Another way to look at this is that, VC and MTN have been given their chance to charge an interconnection rate of their choosing i.e. as high as it is deemed feasible for them. They've probably paid for their network already; a long time ago I reckon. They just refuse to get out of their comfort zone. CellC is evidence that additional competition is not working if the other operators have too big a market share. ICASA should not be swayed by these statements regarding blocking access to communications. The fact that ppl have to send 'pls call me sms' highlights the fact that it's expensive and people are currently being deprived of their freedom to call someone or communicate.

If operators don't want to playball then tough. Implement lower connection fees regardless. If VC and MTN can stand taking a drop in revenue without responding to the lowered intercon fees then it's their problem really.
 
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This is hilarious when you consider that the ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) numbers have been declining for the cellco's in the past few years. So on one hand they're all wringing their hands trying to find ways to increase the ARPU and then on the other they're telling us that 25% of their customers can't actually afford to make a call.

Hello?!?! Anyone out there!? Maybe there's a link...
 
The Cell Co's argument is so ridiculous it is not even funny nor believable. Lucky for them ICASA will believe it.
 
Moederloos said:
I already blocked the Vodacom ones (I forget how, but someone on this forum knew - I tend to think it was Bwana? not sure) now I just need to block Major Telephonic Nuisance and I should be fine.
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Could have been :)

Dial *140# from your cellphone
 
surely the 18-million a day free "call me" messages will initiate 18-million "call backs" on the vodacom network. So it's not the poor who would suffer if this service disappears, it would be Vodacom who would loose Millions.

i can't believe how they twist reality!!
 
They are talking crap. Usual corporate spin. Cell companies make money in poor areas! The millions of poor use mobile phones because Telkom is to flipping vrot to provide services there. Cell companies will not abandon the poor as it is their largest customer base...
 
They charge their most expensive rates to the poor, take into account that its also their largest user base... these cell companies lie through their teeth. Cut the price of calls for the poor!
 
puke

and it was no doubt in noble service of the poor that the interconnection rate rose sharply just before Cell C entered the market

ICASA - spit, don't swallow
 
dominic said:
puke

and it was no doubt in noble service of the poor that the interconnection rate rose sharply just before Cell C entered the market

ICASA - spit, don't swallow
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Unfortunately ICASA tend to swallow whatever bs they are told by the Big Three. I hold out no hope that this time will be any different. :(
 
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