Hollow victory in #DataMustFall fight

MILLIONS of South Africans were left feeling a little underwhelmed this week after Icasa announced its decision on disappearing data. Hopes had been high, carried on the back of the momentum generated by the #DataMustFall movement of two years ago, that the commission would force service providers to reduce the charges they levy for data.

The truth is the price of data in South Africa is disproportionately expensive compared, not just with the rest of the world, but the rest of the continent – with no one apparently able to get this country’s cellphone companies to budge on this.

On Thursday, Icasa made two rulings: that service providers must advise users when their remaining data goes below 50, 80 and 100% to prevent them being stung by out-of-bundle charges, and that unused data cannot simply vanish at the end of the month.

These are small concessions but beachheads in what was once impenetrable territory for consumers. The true victory will be won only when mobile data costs are significantly reduced.

We cannot reduce our dependence on data as smartphones become increasingly indispensable in our daily social and working lives.

Many restaurants offer free wi-fi, as do university campuses, airports, libraries and other public concourses, but we are still a long way from what is considered the norm in other parts of the world, particularly Europe.

Cheap, readily available data is essential to our country becoming a cutting- edge player in the global economy.

We can’t sit around hoping the government will intervene. Citizens need to find a way to challenge the monopoly service providers enjoy so prices can come down to levels that are not downright exploitative. Data must fall.