R2K welcomes progress in the struggle for #datamustfall

The Right2Know Campaign welcomes ICASA’s intervention to help stop the airtime and data ripoff from cell phone companies and advance the right to communicate. On the eve of Freedom Day, ICASA has announced that:

• Data will no longer expire at the end of the month and the value of your data can be transferred to others on your network – but ICASA fail to say how many months you can extend your data for.
• Companies can no longer charge you out-of-bundle rates without your prior consent.
• Companies must notify users when their data falls below 50%, 80% and 100%. This greater transparency will enable people to better control the data they can afford.

While today’s announcement will be a welcome relief to the many who have been ripped off by the mobile phone cartel, our campaign for communication rights still has a long way to go. We will redouble our efforts to ensure:

• Super exploitative SMSes must be made free. High SMS costs are completely unacceptable in the age of Whatsapp and amount to the robbery of the poorest among us who cannot afford smartphones.
• The time has come for a universal basic uncapped internet access: the 2G network should be free and uncapped.

Unallocated and unused spectrum must be allocated to break the dominance of MTN and Vodacom.

For more information contact:

Busi Mtabane, R2K National Spokesperson: 083 329 7844

Mark Weinberg, R2K National Coordinator: 072 724 9601