Commissioner at the Competition Commission Thembinkosi Bonakele says negotiations with MTN and Telkom are at an advanced stage and a conclusion can be expected soon.
Addressing the media in Pretoria, on Tuesday, Bonakele says the administrative delays in spectrum allocation – which can ensure further price reductions come at a high cost to the economy.
His comments follow an announcement on a settlement agreement with Vodacom which agreed to reduce data prices by over 30% across all channels from the 1st of next month.
“It is crucial that spectrum be released. We’ve said this in our report, and it’s not a new thing. We were critical of the prices with or without spectrum being allocated.”
“But I think we were absolutely clear that spectrum must be released without delay, it is a cost to our economy, and it is a cost to the efficiency of the entire country,” Bonakele further explains.
On this video, Hloni Theko of Pre-tuned Technologies is discussing the high cost of data:
Commission’s report
In December 2019, the Commission released its final report on the Data Services Market Inquiry, which recommended that MTN and Vodacom, which hold the majority share in the country’s mobile industry, to reach a deal to reduce date prices.
The report also recommended that these operators reach an agreement with the Commission on other pro-poor measures within three months, including free data.
Video: Commissioner Thembinkosi Bonakele denouncing the excessive data prices in SA
