By Anita Dangazele
- The communications regulator plans two investigations into why data and telecom prices remain so high, and what services like Netflix and WhatsApp charge.
- This follows growing pressure from government after a 2022 promise to lower data prices largely failed to deliver.
If you’ve been feeling the pinch of expensive data bundles or streaming subscriptions, there’s finally a sign that someone in government is paying attention.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, known as Icasa, announced on Friday that it plans to launch two investigations aimed at getting to the bottom of why data, calls and broadband in South Africa remain so expensive, and for the first time, it also wants to look closely at what services like Netflix and WhatsApp are charging.
One investigation will look at ordinary telecom pricing from South Africa’s big networks, MTN, Vodacom, Telkom and Cell C, companies together worth more than R700 billion. The other will focus on so-called over-the-top “OTT” services, apps and platforms like Netflix and WhatsApp that deliver calls, messages and video over the internet instead of a traditional phone line.
This comes after years of promises that haven’t fully been delivered.
Back in 2022, government auctioned off radio frequencies to network operators, on the promise that it would help build better coverage and bring prices down. Four years on, government itself admits prices remain among the highest in the world relative to other countries, which is exactly why these new investigations are happening now.
Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has also put out a separate tender, asking outside experts to work out why previous efforts haven’t worked and what could actually fix it. His department has openly acknowledged that South Africans pay excessive data costs compared to global and African standards, and says real policy changes are needed.
In a related move last week, the country’s biggest networks asked for special permission to share information about where they plan to build infrastructure, aiming to cut costs and expand coverage into remote, underserved rural areas.
It’s important to be realistic about the timeline: this is the start of formal investigations, not an announcement of lower prices.
But with the regulator, the minister, and even the networks themselves now openly acknowledging the problem and moving simultaneously, this is the most active government pressure on data and streaming costs South Africa has seen in years.
Pictured above: [no image provided]
Image source: [no image provided]
