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South Africa: Competition Commission slams high data costs

By  |  April 25, 2019

Vodacom and MTN are fleecing consumers, particularly poor ones, in their home country South Africa when it comes to data, according to the Competition Commission.

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    The two companies charge more for data in South Africa than anywhere else they operate. The overcharging is especially acute for poor consumers who typically use small, prepaid data bundles.

    “Operators have sought to argue that smaller bundles on short validity periods compare more favourably.

    “While that may be the case, a 20MB bundle valid for a day is still about 66% more expensive than a one-month 1GB bundle on the Vodacom network. However, the very short validity period also makes that smaller bundle more likely to expire, making the effective rate likely higher still,” Bonakele said.

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