South Africa falls well below Universal and Meaningful Connectivity standards

In 2026, the rising cost of all services is cause for concern, with little being done by those with power to change things for everyday citizens still suffering. In the case of connectivity, the overall cost of digital communications requires urgent attention, according to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA).

For those unfamiliar, ISPA serves as South Africa’s official internet Industry Representative Body (IRB), making it uniquely positioned to discuss the access to connectivity locally.

Citing Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC), which is an accepted global policy that prioritises the ability to afford both connectivity and the necessary devices, ISPA says there is little evidence to illustrate that enough is being done in South Africa when it comes to affordable connectivity access.

ISPA also highlighted a Cost of Living Report created by the Competition Commission earlier this year, which noted that affordability of services and devices remains a substantial barrier to achieving UMC.

While some efforts have been made from a policy perspective, it would appear that little is being done to fully implement it locally.

“Reducing the cost to communicate is key to poverty reduction. As a start, South Africa needs firm action on providing a free basic data allowance to those falling below the poverty line. This is already an established policy intervention under the National Infrastructure Plan and National Radio Frequency Spectrum Policy,” explained Sasha Booth-Beharilal, ISPA chair, in a release shared with Hypertext.

To better tackle access to connectivity in SA, ISPA says that two organisations in particular need to step in and ramp up efforts. The organisations in question are the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), with both viewed as having the capacity and power to make impactful changes.

“The DCDT has included a cost to communicate programme as one of its deliverables for years, but there is no substance to the programme or clear position on what needs to be done to make devices and data more affordable. ICASA has, to its credit, made some headway in bringing consumer relief through reforming the rules that govern data rollovers and out-of-bundle charges, ensuring that consumers get more value,” noted ISPA.

“Unfortunately, ICASA’s latest attempt to amend the End-Subscriber and Service Charter Regulations to broaden these reforms has been taken to the High Court by Vodacom and MTN, and the regulator does not have a good record of defending its processes in court. An earlier attempt by ICASA to introduce greater competition in the provision of mobile broadband services resulted in the publication of a defective set of regulations which were never implemented before the High Court confirmed that they were unlawful to the extent that they could not be saved. ICASA has now abandoned this process,” it highlighted.

It therefore appears as if there is very little follow through when it comes to worthwhile initiatives. Consequently, and with the Local Government Elections (LGE) around the corner, ISPA is questioning whether there is indeed a desire to address these concerns in a year when South Africans are being put under more financial pressure than ever before.

“The obvious must be asked: Is lowering the cost to communicate still a government priority? Are we committed to Universal and Meaningful Connectivity in South Africa?,” it posited.

[Image – Photo by Behnam Norouzi on Unsplash]

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