Tribunal assents to Vodacom deal with CompCom

The Competition Tribunal has confirmed as an order the Competition Commission’s consent agreement with Vodacom over data prices.

The agreement follows the publication of the final report of the data services market inquiry in December 2019.

The consent agreement, the first between a telecommunications operator and the commission stemming from the regulator’s investigation in the data market, is “entered into in full and final settlement of the concerns identified in the final report … insofar as these relate to Vodacom”.

Vodacom agreed to cut data prices from 1 April 2020. Thirty-day prepaid bundles will drop by over 30% across all channels and the operator agreed never to charge more than R99 for 1GB of data.

It also agreed to make available all of its zero-rated services on one platform, with increased focus on consumers in poorer communities through a product called ConnectU. ConnectU will provided zero-rated access to educational sites, Wikipedia, and various jobs portals. 

The operator will also extend personalised discounts to prepaid customers in all suburbs and villages where most people have income levels below the upper-bound food poverty line.  — (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media