Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 25-04-2019

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)

The Competition Commission has found that mobile operators Vodacom and MTN are overcharging South Africans and are exploiting the country’s poor with high data costs.

A report, released in Pretoria on Wednesday by Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele, revealed that Vodacom and MTN were charging far more for data in SA than in the BRICS and SADC countries in which they operate.

The Competition Commission began its inquiry into the high cost of data in 2017 after widespread public outrage.

The commission also found that South Africa’s data pricing is ‘anti-poor’ and lacks transparency.

“Relative to a 1GB bundle, a consumer buying a 100MB bundle will pay roughly twice the price on a per bundle basis for the same data period validity. A consumer buying a 50MB bundle will pay up to three times more and a 20MB bundle up to four times more”.

The commission also found that the lack of spectrum is part of the reason costs are so high.