R2K rejects the call to regulate OTTs!
27 January 2016
R2K rejects the call to regulate over the top services (OTTs) such as WhatsApp and Skype as a move to propel profiteering that has undermined people's right to communicate for years already.
The demand by the two telecoms companies, Vodacom and MTN, is nothing more than a cynical attempt to stifle innovation and protect their super-profits at the expense of the consumer. At Tuesday’s informal session of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services, the telecoms cartel made their arguments in favour of regulating OTTs, and yet again their true motives were laid bare. We condemn in strongest terms this anti-competitive tendency as it seeks to continue the exploitation of users, in particular the poor.
R2K has consistently fought back against the ruthless profiteering and unscrupulous business practices of MTN and Vodacom. In this latest move – despite the broad definition of OTTs being used, which includes streaming media et cetera – it is plain to see that the real targets for the call for regulation are Voice Over Internet Protocol providers such as Skype, Whatsapp and Facebook. These services offer a relatively affordable and convenient alternative to the messaging and calling services offered by the mobile network operators, especially when taking into account the extortionate airtime rates that these service providers charge.
The arguments presented by the two telecoms cartel in favour of OTT regulation are about as flimsy as MTN’s claim that it does not dodge the taxman. OTT’s are not a real threat to the profitability of telecoms companies, and Cell-C has broken ranks by embracing OTTs, which reflects its status as a late entrant into the market whose primary need is to acquire market share. As Alison Gillwald, Director of Research ICT Africa made clear in her presentation at the hearing, the telecoms cartel have been and still are unusually profitable and are steadily investing in network capacity. For Vodacom and MTN to claim that their investment capacity is at risk is farcical, especially now that infrastructure-sharing is becoming more common.