Share

WhatsApp faces possible regulation in SA

Johannesburg - Over-the-top (OTT) internet services, such as WhatsApp, could be regulated in South Africa depending on the outcome of planned Parliament hearings this month.

OTT services - which range from WhatsApp to Skype and Google Hangouts - allow users to make messages and calls over data networks - often at comparatively lower costs than traditional telephone calls or SMS.

READ: Hands off our WhatsApp, say Fin24 users

OTT services like WhatsApp have rocketed in usage in South Africa with over 10 million users in the country, according to a recent report by World Wide Worx and Fuseware.

Amid this growth, South Africa's two biggest mobile networks Vodacom and MTN last year called for regulation of OTT services in South Africa.

READ: Vodacom calls for OTT regulation & MTN targets 'free loading' WhatsApp

Subsequently, the Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services has confirmed to Fin24 that it has scheduled hearings into the possible regulation of OTT services in South Africa on January 26.

A notice of the planned hearings, which was sent to relevant stakeholders, says the hearings are set to discuss “necessary policy interventions on how to govern OTTs, regulatory interventions on the guidelines to regulate OTTs” and the “impact of OTTs on competition”.

Another topic to be discussed at the hearings is whether “there (is) a need for the OTTs to be defined as telecom services (voice or data) or telecom infrastructure, and thus whether they should be subject to licensing and regulatory obligations (such as legal intercept and emergency call access) or not?”

The committee is trying to secure a venue for the hearings which are planned to be open to the public, the secretary of the committee, Hajiera Salie, told Fin24. More details about the hearings will be provided later this month, Salie added.

It’s unclear who will be presenting at the hearings at this stage.

Regulation risks being “ludicrous”

Dominic Cull, who is a communications regulatory expert at Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions, said he has received a notice of the hearings.

Cull said it looks as if mobile networks “still have some lobbying power in terms of getting these matters before bodies like Parliament”.

"WhatsApp is obviously in the forefront. You know why the mobiles (mobile networks) are upset: It's a revenue question. But we're also talking about TeamViewer, Google Hangouts, Viber etc,” Cull told Fin24.

Cull said a challenge about regulating OTT is that “just about everything provided over the network could be regarded as an OTT”.

"Once you can't divide them up, it obviously becomes ludicrous to try and regulate them,” Cull added.

He further said that there are two “fascinating” points to watch regarding the OTT regulation hearings later this month.

"The parties which are in the firing line here - in terms of the regulation - are not the usual suspects such as ISPs (internet service providers) and smaller players looking to compete. We're talking about Facebook, Google, Microsoft and the like,” Cull told Fin24.

"So, we're talking about substantial multinationals that have an interest here.

"And the second thing is that this is one of the rare telecommunications issues which people get. So, they understand WhatsApp. They know what it means to the spend on communication,” Cull said.

What do you think about government mulling OTT regulation? Tell us your thoughts by clicking here.

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
19.02
-0.6%
Rand - Pound
24.01
-0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.53
-0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.6%
Platinum
900.50
+0.4%
Palladium
1,002.25
+0.1%
Gold
2,211.80
+0.8%
Silver
24.62
-0.1%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,080
+0.6%
All Share
74,278
+0.5%
Resource 10
56,967
+2.4%
Industrial 25
103,572
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,456
-0.4%
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