EMASWATI CALL FOR DATA PRICE DROP

MBABANE – Following the report made by South Africa’s Competition Commission, which found that mobile data in that country was too expensive – emaSwati have also called for the prices to be reduced locally.

After learning of the report, locals took to social media platforms and said they wished the Competition Commission could come to Eswatini to investigate the same. The SA’s Competition Commission final report on data prices was released on Monday and it found that mobile data was too expensive in that country. The commission said service providers must reduce excessive prices within two months or face prosecution. However, locals need not worry as about two weeks ago, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ITC), Princess Sikhanyiso, told senators that the Eswatini Communication Commission (ESCCOM) was committed to continue reducing the telecommunications costs with specific focus being on the data.

Affordable

The minister said the target was for Eswatini to have access to high speed internet at affordable costs. The minister informed the senators that a study was being undertaken to consider the current communications costs, which would be benchmarked against regional peers. “This process is envisaged that it will give direction towards the costs of data and a strategy for effecting reductions going forward,” responded the minister in the portfolio committee report tabled in the chamber. The minister was responding to a question raised by Senator Cleopas Dlamini, who observed that ESCCOM had done some good work in the reduction of telecommunications costs in Eswatini in the past three years. Dlamini nonetheless encouraged ESCCOM to work towards the reduction of data costs as they remained high. Meanwhile in South Africa, it was revealed that telecoms giants MTN and Vodacom charged more than in other countries they operated in. The commission also found data pricing is anti-poor.

Interaction

South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel was quoted by ENCA news as having said data was the currency of daily interaction and prices must be lowered. He said the high cost of data was hampering economic development in South Africa. A Mail and Guardian and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) data cost debate had highlighted the high cost of voice and data services remained a stumbling block to business and other opportunities.  It was reported that data costs were higher than those in neighbouring countries like Malawi, Mozambique and Lesotho, where South Africa’s major communications operators are also active. They are six times more expensive in South Africa than in Egypt.
ICASA said South Africa needed to prioritise infrastructure for new and developing network service providers.

Coverage

“The spectrum basically enables them to firstly roll out coverage, categories of spectrum than allows operators to cover much wider areas and that would even enable them to cover the rural areas and the other remote areas that are not covered,” said Icasa CEO Willington Ngwepe. The SA Government said with more South Africans relying on mobile communications, it is serious about bringing data prices down and this will be a priority in 2019.

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