Icasa says data prices will go on falling as operators step up competition
WITH competition among mobile operators intensifying, communications watchdog Icasa has told MPs that data prices have fallen 45% since 2010 and should fall further.Parliament’s telecoms and postal service committee is holding public hearings on the high cost of mobile and data services in SA.The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), an NGO, notes in its 2015-16 Affordability Report that in SA an affordable internet connection costs most South Africans between 6% and 19% of their monthly income.Willington Ngwepe, chief operations officer of the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), told the committee there had been a huge shift towards data use, resulting in a decline in voice revenue for most operators. But with demand for data on the rise, operators were looking to reduce prices to attract and retain subscribers."We have seen a decrease in the average that is charged per megabyte as operators compete for customers," he said.But the regulator said that although pri...
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