Making Cents

• Samuel Mungadze, Editor of New African Gazette and ICT Journal a
  tech online mag, and former tech writer at Business Day and IT
  News Africa.
  MTN, Vodacom charging up to 2
  639% more for out-of- bundle data
• report
  Amid reports of South Africa’s top two networks charging up to 2
  639% more for out-of- bundle data, Vodacom has said it is normal
  business practice to offer discounts to customers that make longer
  term commitments. 
  Despite a push by government and the Independent
  Communications Authority Of South Africa (Icasa), out-of- bundle
  data rates are much more expensive than in-bundle.
  MyBroadband recently revealed that data rates on both the
  Vodacom and MTN networks were reported to be exponentially
  higher when users ran out of data bundles. 
  It was reported that while on contract, a Vodacom 20GB data bundle
  cost R329, which worked out to R0.02 per MB, but out-of- bundle the
  rate per MB was R0.44, 2 630% higher than an in-bundle rate. 
  Similarly, MTN’s 25GB prepaid bundle costs R1 250, equating to
  R0.05 per MB and out-of- bundle cost R0.99 per MB, 1 928% more
  expensive than in-bundle.
  The report came amid a promise made across all networks to extend
  the validity of data bundles and a decrease in the cost of data
  overall. 

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Last month Fin24 reported that Minister of Economic Development
Ebrahim Patel said that government would prioritise bringing down
data costs as part of developing an economy in line with the fourth
industrial revolution.
Patel spoke on efforts made to develop the economy to be more
inclusive during the debate in Parliament following the State of the
Nation Address.
Patel further stated that government would focus on bringing down
data costs through the competition market inquiry into data services
and expand the infrastructure for data by finalising the release of a
new telecommunications spectrum.
Last year Icasa stepped into the ongoing row between consumers
and network providers over the high cost of data by releasi