R2K welcomes data price reduction, says more needs to be done
Advocacy group Right2Know has welcomed the decision by Vodacom to reduce the price of data by at least 30%.
The Competition Commission announced on Tuesday that Vodacom had agreed to a "substantial reduction of monthly data bundles".
The reduction in prices is set to take effect in April 1.
Right2Know’s Dale McKinley says even though the agreement constitutes progress, Vodacom’s prices are still higher in South Africa when compared to the rest of the world.
“We are pleased that there has been some progress, but we don’t think it has come far enough. We still believe the prices are generally higher and we need to go much further.”
McKinley points out that South Africa still has some of the highest data and airtime costs in the world.
“We still need two or three cuts in the price to get down to where we need it to be. We will continue to put pressure on the regulators and the communication providers, we are simply asking for a fair price. Vodacom and other service providers have been using South Africa to make money.”
The commission in December ordered Vodacom and MTN to cut prices within two months or face prosecution after its investigations revealed they charged more for data services in South Africa than they did in other markets where they operated.