The Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa) has asked whether lowering the cost to communicate is “still a government priority”. The industry body made the comment in a statement on Monday.
Ispa questioned whether the communications department and the regulator Icasa are able to bring down what South Africans pay to get online.
Data prices are falling, Ispa said. But it said the full cost of getting online, including the price of devices, “requires urgent attention”. It said there was little sign of action from government.
“There is no substance to the programme or clear position on what needs to be done to make devices and data more affordable,” Ispa said.
That criticism was aimed at the department of communications and digital technologies. Ispa said the department has listed a cost-to-communicate programme among its goals for years.
Ispa added that it was not clear the department or Icasa “have the ability to do what is required”.
Ispa chair Sasha Booth-Beharilal said the first step should be free data for the poorest people. “Reducing the cost to communicate is key to poverty reduction,” she said.
“As a start, South Africa needs firm action on providing a free basic data allowance to those falling below the poverty line,” Booth-Beharilal said. She said this was already policy under the National Infrastructure Plan and the National Radio Frequency Spectrum Policy.
Ispa also said Icasa “does not have a good record of defending its processes in court”. It pointed to the regulator’s attempt to boost competition in mobile broadband.
That process produced rules that were never put into practice before a court found them unlawful. Icasa has since dropped the process.
According to TechCentral, money does not appear to be the problem. Icasa left R333.7-million of its 2025/2026 budget unspent and ended the year with a R100.2-million surplus.
This was even as the regulator told parliament that a lack of funding stopped it from buying the tools it needs to police operators.
Ispa said the steps that worked best so far were price cuts negotiated by the Competition Commission. It also pointed to the removal of the 9% excise duty on smartphones costing less than R2 500.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi pushed for the duty change, which took effect in April 2025.
The Competition Commission also recommended changes to the Electronic Communications Act to strengthen competition. The Electronic Communications Amendment Bill was only tabled in parliament in April, almost seven years later.
Prices have come down, but not evenly. Prepaid customers who paid R100 for 1GB in 2020 were paying about R79 by 2025.
On International Telecommunication Union price brackets, South Africa’s blended average of about R20.50 per gigabyte still trails 27 other African countries.
Ispa expects the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill will not be finalised before the end of 2027.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TechCentral. Image: TechCentral. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.