ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK: Icasa falls a bundle short of protecting the poor
The problem with the draft regulations is that they do not address the fundamental flaw in the structure of data pricing in South Africa
You could be forgiven for cheering draft regulations issued by Icasa this week. The telecommunications regulator issued a detailed set of rules for how mobile network operators will be required to carry over data bundles, and deal with out-of-bundle charges. For the first time, the operators will be barred from "expiring" data for a specified period. Until now, unused data bought as part of a bundle has expired at the end of the month of its validity. In some cases, the unused portion could be carried over for a month, but rarely for longer. And nothing stopped the operators from moving customers to out-of-bundle rates, which are prohibitively expensive. Now, Icasa plans to make the practice illegal, requiring customers to be warned when either data or airtime use has reached half, three-quarters, 90% and 100% of the allocated bundle. Thereafter, they may not move a user into out-of-bundle data without their express opt-in. The regulations make a good start, but only if the intentio...
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