Who is Cell C to complain about Vodacom-Neotel merger?
Icasa has hit back at Cell C for its criticism of how the regulator handled, and subsequently approved, the merger between Vodacom and Neotel.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Icasa’s chairman Stephen Mncube said “everybody” had their say with regards to the deal, and its legal team made the decision based – in part – on this input.
Cell C has threatened to oppose the deal between Vodacom and Neotel using “all legal avenues” if the transaction is given the green light by the Competition Commission.
Icasa said that it cannot make regulatory decisions in the ICT sector while “fearing” court action, though.
“Who is Cell C in the industry? Cell C is just one of the players. Well, let them go to court,” said Mncube.
Spectrum is the key
One of Cell C’s gripes with the deal is that Vodacom may gain access to Neotel’s spectrum, which the operator could use to expand its mobile data services.
Icasa did not disclose how the spectrum will be divided if the merger takes place, saying only when changes to assigned spectrum are made would the regulator deal with the matter.
In 2014, Vodacom and Neotel announced that the two companies had entered into a deal which would see Vodacom acquire 100% of Neotel. The deal is worth R7 billion.
The full report is available in the 21 June 2015 edition of the Sunday Times.
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