Competition Commission to establish inquiry into provision of data services
The Competition Commission will investigate data costs in the country that are among the highest in the world, inhibiting the growth of the telecommunications sector. The establishment of a market inquiry into the state of competition in the data market and the inquiry’s terms of reference would be announced by September 1, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Thursday. Patel has urged data suppliers not to await the inquiry’s outcome but to reduce data costs on their own accord as soon as possible. The sector is dominated by major players such as Vodacom and MTN. The commission called for an investigation into competition in the cellphone data and voice market in April saying it could further stimulate competition and level the playing field for small operators. It made the comment after deciding not to proceed with a Cell C complaint against MTN and Vodacom that their price differentials for calls to the same network compared with those to different networks prevent...
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