JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the high cost of Internet data, the regulator said on Friday, after a groundswell of complaints from consumers and civil society.
The Competition Commission said in a statement it had already published terms of reference for the inquiry and that it would complete its investigation by August 2018.
The regulator said it believed there were features in the market that “prevent, distort or restrict competition”, leading to excessive prices.
A 2016 World Bank report found that South Africans paid around $14.10 (SR52.87) for one gigabyte of data, the fourth highest out of 17 African countries, compared to lowest-rated Cameroon, where the same bundle cost around $2.10.
In September last year a local radio personality presented a case for lower data prices to a parliamentary committee after a popular online campaign dubbed #datamustfall.
“The inquiry has been initiated in response to a request by Economic Development Minister, Ebrahim Patel, who also has expressed concerns over high data costs,” the regulator said.
Five main firms dominate South Africa’s wireless broadband market, including MTN and Vodacom, which control about 70 percent of the market, along with partially state-owned Telkom.
Analysts say the small pool of service providers, combined with slow implementation of policy by government and insufficient infrastructure have hampered competition.
South Africa’s competition watchdog probes high data costs
South Africa’s competition watchdog probes high data costs
QatarEnergy announces force majeure following Iran attacks: statement
DOHA: Qatar’s state-run energy firm on Wednesday declared force majeure following attacks on two of its main facilities that halted liquefied natural gas production and as Iran pressed missile and drone attacks across the Gulf.
“Further to the announcement by QatarEnergy to stop production of liquefied natural gas and associated products, QatarEnergy has declared Force Majeure to its affected buyers,” the company said in a statement.
QatarEnergy invoked the clause, which shields it from penalties and potential breach of contract claims from clients, after stopping LNG production on Monday.
Iranian drones attacked two of the company’s main production hubs in Ras Laffan Industrial City, 80 km north of Doha and in Mesaieed 40 km south of the Qatari capital, Doha’s ministry of defense said at the time.
The Gulf state is one of the world’s top liquefied natural gas producers, alongside the US, Australia and Russia.
On Tuesday, QatarEnergy said it would halt some downstream production of some products including urea, polymers, methanol, aluminum and others.
Qatar shares the world’s largest natural gas reservoir with Iran.
QatarEnergy estimates the Gulf state’s portion of the reservoir, the North Field, holds about 10 percent of the world’s known natural gas reserves.
In recent years, Qatar has inked a series of long-term LNG deals with France’s Total, Britain’s Shell, India’s Petronet, China’s Sinopec and Italy’s Eni, among others.
