Browsing: Richard Boorman

The Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa) has argued that insufficient competition between mobile operators is keeping the cost of mobile broadband higher than it should be and limiting uptake by South African consumers. But the operators say it’s not that simple. Vodacom spokesman Richard

Hardly a week goes by without news of yet another international traveller returning from overseas only to discover they’ve run up a huge phone bill, in some cases in excess of R100 000, while roaming. It’s well documented that data use, in particular, can lead to phone bills so large that the money could

Vodacom was forced to abandon the branding of its new “Freedom 99” prepaid tariffs on Friday night after the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) sent it a letter of objection in which it warned that it would seek a court interdict if the operator pressed ahead with its plans. It was also forced to replace

Vodacom is in breach of Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) regulations for not filing its new 99c/minute prepaid tariff plan with the regulator before announcing the new rates on Wednesday. That’s the view of Icasa, whose spokesman, Paseka Maleka

The reaction of various interest groups to a year-long study by Research ICT Africa into prepaid mobile prices across the continent and SA’s relatively poor showing in it are perhaps not surprising. They nevertheless prompt clarification and hopefully further debate before the issue of the high price of communications in SA is again swept

The release last week of Research ICT Africa’s report on mobile phone pricing in Africa has provoked a little controversy. The facts are quite damning. SA has some of the highest mobile costs on the continent. This is odd given the country’s comparative wealth and infrastructural advantages. By rights, SA ought to have the cheapest phone

Vodacom has been been ordered to pay a politically connected fixer US$21m (R159m) this week by a court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but the episode could end up costing the mobile operator almost twice that amount. On the phone from Kinshasa this week, Moto Mabanga, the SA-based fixer who was

Vodacom has secured a licence from the Financial Services Board to begin selling insurance products directly to its customers as it seeks to broaden its portfolio and expand its revenue streams in a maturing mobile market. There are few details available for now, but TechCentral has established that the cellular network

This week’s sharp fall in the value of the rand against major currencies is bad news for gadget-loving South Africans and the technology companies that import hi-tech gear and computer equipment. The currency’s fall may also reduce the

Vodacom’s decision to slow down the speed at which BlackBerry users access the Internet if they use more than a 100MB of data a month could be in breach of the “spirit” of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), analysts say. The mobile phone company