While cell-phone companies like Vodacom, MTN and Cell C obviously hope their gamble to unilaterally increase existing  consumers’ contract prices has paid off, the battle is far from over, with the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and ICASA still investigating.

In response to a media request, the NCC had this to say:

“The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), who regulates the telecommunications industry, has requested certain information from all network service providers. This process was embarked on to assist the National Consumer Commission (NCC) in its inquiry. Both ICASA and the NCC has jurisdiction in this matter.

“The NCC, on May 15, received the information from ICASA and is in the process of securing a meeting with the regulator to analyse and unpack the said information.

“As it stands, mobile network licence conditions and pricing / tariffs are governed under the Electronic Communications Act, which is administered by ICASA, and contract terms and conditions are administered under the Consumer Protection Act by the NCC.

“During the said meeting, a decision will be taken on who would pursue the matter, obviously with the outlook of securing the best possible outcomes for consumers.

“The NCC will communicate further on this matter after a decision has been taken.”

The fact that the matter is still being pursued bodes well for consumers.

The Advertising Standards Authority is also investigating Vodacom.