Right2Know rails against high data costs at commission hearing
SA’s data prices are 134% more expensive than the cheapest data prices in other Brics nations
Everyone should get a free basic amount of airtime and data in the same way that we have free basic water and electricity‚ Right2Know Campaign (R2K) advocacy group recommended on Wednesday at the Competition Commission’s data market inquiry public hearing. The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) should also regulate the cost of airtime and data to stop profiteering‚ the group said. In addition‚ cellphone companies should improve the quality of service‚ including network outages‚ dropped calls‚ calls that don’t connect‚ and data coverage. The range of numbers that are free to call (such as the police and ambulance services) should be increased to include schools and hospitals‚ said R2K. In its submission to the commission‚ R2K argued that “the outrageous cost of communication in SA is undermining people’s basic rights to access and share information — their right to communicate”. “SA has one of the most expensive data prices in the world‚ even when adjusted for cost of...
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