Khusela Diko Says There Is No Technical Reason For Mobile Data To Expire In South Africa

South African consumers should not lose unused mobile data because there is no technical justification for data expiry, according to Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, Khusela Diko.

Diko made the remarks following an oversight visit by Members of Parliament to MTN’s headquarters in Roodepoort on Tuesday. The visit comes as MTN and Vodacom continue their legal challenge against the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).

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The two telecommunications companies are seeking relief from ICASA’s revised End-User and Subscriber Service Charter regulations, which set out rules on data rollover, bundle depletion, and the transfer of unused minutes and mobile data.

Parliament Engages MTN Over Mobile Data Expiry Concerns

Diko said Parliament's discussions with mobile network operators are intended to better understand the industry's concerns rather than persuade ICASA to revise its regulations.

“When we are engaging MTN and the other mobile network operators in this issue, it is not to seek to get ICASA to change its view on certain things. But to understand what are the challenges that industry faces in this regard. Now, these regulations when they came out earlier on, this year, they were very widely welcomed by members of the public because we’ve never understood why data must expire. And I think this is simplistically for us what this comes down to. We understand that there are infrastructure management challenges, there are financial management challenges. We don’t think that there’s a technical reason for the use it to lose their principle. And that’s what we’re trying to engage them on here.”

ICASA Regulations At Centre Of MTN And Vodacom Court Challenge

The legal dispute centres on ICASA’s updated End-User and Subscriber Service Charter regulations, which introduce provisions relating to data rollover, the depletion of bundles, and the transfer of unused minutes and megabytes.

Parliament's oversight engagements with mobile network operators form part of efforts to understand the industry's position while the matter remains before the courts.