Acting minister of Communications and Digital technologies, Jackson Mthembu, has published a new directive which revises the coronavirus regulations for mobile networks in South Africa.<\/p>\n
The directive deletes a number of requirements which were introduced by the Department of Communications on 26 March, when the country first entered its coronavirus lockdown.<\/p>\n
Notably, the directive deletes the section relating to prices and number porting.<\/p>\n
This means that South Africans will once again be able to port their numbers between mobile networks, effectively allowing customers to move between mobile networks.<\/p>\n
Mobile networks are now also allowed to increase prices across their products – something which had been previously been banned for the duration of the Covid-19 national disaster.<\/p>\n
This also applies to other ‘licensed entities’ such as internet service providers (ISPs).<\/p>\n
Tracking and tracing<\/strong><\/p>\n The other major amendment relates to the tracking and tracing of South Africans which had contracted the coronavirus, or who had come into contact with someone who has had it.<\/p>\n Previously, the government required that mobile networks and internet companies provide location-data to help the government track the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.<\/p>\n However, the latest amendment means that this is no longer a requirement, and these companies no longer have to provide this information.<\/p>\n The below gazette shows the new directive and amendments:<\/p>\n Telecom Gazette May 2020<\/a> by BusinessTech<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n