TOBY SHAPSHAK: Data kind of falls, but more needed
Icasa’s data-expiry proposal is a good move but bigger steps must be taken to stimulate SA’s Internet economy
It’s not the #DataMustFall that people have been begging for, but the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) has given us #DataMustNotExpire. The telecoms regulator has published draft regulations in the Government Gazette, stipulating new time frames for the expiry of data. This is a good step, and such proactivity should be rewarded. Cellular operators obviously want to ensure regular income and consistency of network use, so they sell data bundles. But if that bundle expires, these operators punish their own customers for consuming more of the thing they are actually selling. It makes no sense. Why penalise your customer for consuming more of what you want to sell them?A persistent consumer complaint is that data bundles expire — which critics often suggest might contravene the Consumer Protection Act. Previous interventions by Icasa have brought down the cost of voice calls, and given smaller operators such as Cell C and Telkom Mobile a chance to compete. But Icasa h...
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