The Internet Service Providers’ Association wants decisive action on data and smartphone affordability.
South Africa’s progress in lowering mobile data prices has not been matched by sufficient action to make internet-enabled devices and connectivity affordable for low-income households, according to the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA).
The internet industry representative body says government has yet to demonstrate meaningful progress on ‘universal and meaningful connectivity’, a global policy approach that considers both access to internet services and the affordability of the devices needed to use them.
Its guidance emphasises affordability of both internet services and internet-enabled devices, alongside access, quality, digital skills and security, so people can use connectivity effectively rather than simply having a connection.
In a statement issued this week, ISPA chairperson Sasha Booth-Beharilal calls for a free basic data allowance for people living below the poverty line, arguing that existing government policies have already recognised the need for intervention.
Booth-Beharilal says a targeted intervention could help address the financial barriers preventing poorer households from accessing online services and opportunities.
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“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,” says Booth-Beharilal.
“This is already an established policy intervention under the National Infrastructure Plan and National Radio Frequency Spectrum Policy.”
ISPA points to the Competition Commission’s 2026 Cost of Living Report and the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s Digital Infrastructure Investment Study as evidence that the cost of connectivity and devices remains a barrier to wider digital participation.
According to ISPA, national policy has acknowledged the need to address the affordability of both data and devices for more than a decade, but implementation remains unclear.
The association questions whether the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) can deliver the interventions required.
It says the DCDT has listed a cost-to-communicate programme among its deliverables for years, without setting out a substantive programme, or a clear position on how devices and data should become more affordable.
In August 2024, DCDT minister Solly Malatsi told ITWeb that reducing the cost to communicate would require engagement with mobile operators to identify the factors driving up prices, including infrastructure vandalism, regulatory barriers and network investment costs.
He also highlighted the high cost of smartphones, which are classified as luxury goods and attract associated taxes, and said he would engage National Treasury on possible changes to import duties and the pricing threshold for these devices.
Malatsi said government’s efforts to expand digital inclusion would need to address both device affordability and reliable connectivity, while examining the costs affecting data prices.
ICASA, meanwhile, has introduced changes to data rollover and out-of-bundle charging rules intended to improve consumer value.
However, its broader effort to amend the End-Subscriber and Service Charter Regulations has been challenged in the High Court by Vodacom and MTN.
ISPA also points to an earlier attempt by ICASA to increase competition in mobile broadband, which ended after the High Court found the resulting regulations unlawful to the extent that they could not be saved. The regulator has since abandoned the process.
The association identifies previous interventions by the communications minister and the Competition Commission as examples of measures that have provided consumer relief.
The minister removed ad valorem taxes on lower-end smartphones, while the Competition Commission concluded an inquiry into the data services market in December 2019 and negotiated pricing relief for low-income consumers.
“The commission also recommended amendments to the Electronic Communications Act intended to promote competition and reduce communication costs. It took almost seven years for these proposed amendments to reach Parliament and expects they are unlikely to be finalised before the end of 2027,” says ISPA.
The association’s concerns raise questions about whether affordability remains a priority in government’s digital inclusion agenda, particularly for households that cannot afford suitable devices or sufficient data to participate in the digital economy.
“Meaningful connectivity requires action on both fronts, rather than relying on reductions in data prices alone,” it concludes.