Share

SMS should be free in SA, say Fin24 users

Johannesburg - Make SMS charges in South Africa free.

That’s the call from some Fin24 users who agree with a stance taken by the Wi-Fi Forum of South Africa (WFFSA).

READ: Make SMS free in SA, says Wi-Fi body

At a Parliament meeting on Tuesday about regulation issues around over-the-top players like WhatsApp, WFFSA’s Chair Andile Ngcaba called on networks to free up their messaging services.

Ngcaba’s call also came amid him criticising any possible regulation of OTT services in South Africa.

“In my view SMS must be free as soon as possible,” said Ngcaba at the briefing on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, several Fin24 users have agreed with Ngcaba’s views.

Fin24 user Douglas wrote: “Of course if the networks won't free up something the others such as WhatsApp are going to be the preference.”

Fin24 user Dirk said:

“Vodacom and MTN have been making super profits for too long.  They should not complain - but keep regulation out of our economy. Whatever the government touches, turn into shit.”

Fin24 user Siviwe also said that SMS “should be free”:

“But people should be limited for the number of SMS's they can send a day if they are not limited they might use the free SMS service as a chatting app e.g WhatsApp”

Fin24 user Tshekedi said that making SMS free would boost competition:

“Yes I do agree that SMS must be free as soon as possible that will make networks to be competitive and maybe resurrects SMS services that the networks are crying about.”

Fin24 user Les said:

“Yes, should have been free from the start – it uses almost zero bandwidth, and costs telecoms nothing. But, who needs SMS today – ancient technology, limited to a few lines of text – other platforms can send pix, audio & video along with text. It’s like comparing www to early text-only internet. Even if it was free, who would use it?”

Finally, Fin24 user Allen wrote:

“Yes, and it's overdue. Companies should innovate, not regulate. It's a free market economy. Survival of the smartest.”

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.89
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.87
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders