Concern over slow rollout of free data for public benefit sites

Communications & digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi has acknowledged the slow pace in ensuring South Africa’s mobile network operators make the digital content of public benefit organisations available data-free but is still confident about meeting a January 2027 deadline.

According to the DG Murray Trust, only about 40 out of thousands of public benefit organisations that may be eligible have been onboarded under the zero-rating requirement attached to a multibillion-rand radio frequency spectrum auction conducted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) in 2022.

In May 2024, Icasa published a notice for public benefit organisations, including government websites, to submit applications for assessment for their mobile content to be zero-rated. It said the successful bidders awarded licences in the auction must allow data-free mobile access to the websites of qualifying non-profit entities, including trusts or associations registered with the South African Revenue Service.

The zero-rating obligation must be implemented within 36 months from January 15 2024, the date of the issuance of the licences.

“We are aware of the slow movement around this. But also it’s important to recall that Icasa published the process to apply in May 2024. The deadline is January 2027, so there is still time,” Malatsi told Business Day.

“Our expectation is for Icasa to ensure there is compliance with the achievement of this component, as it was a critical part of the spectrum allocation obligations for the mobile network operators. Icasa has instruments at its disposal which it can use for non-compliance if there is non-compliance.”

Icasa had not responded to questions from Business Day by the time of publication.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the DG Murray Trust advocated for mobile operators to zero-rate digital content from public-benefit organisations so that low-income households could access educational and health information without paying for data.

After Icasa’s spectrum auction made zero-rating public-benefit content a licence condition, DG Murray Trust became vocal about the gap between the obligation existing on paper and people actually receiving free access.

In a country with unequal access to the internet and high data costs, the zero-rating of digital content is a bridge across the digital divide that could connect people to information for education, social services, healthcare and job seeking, the trust said in a recent statement.

“Almost every home in South Africa has a mobile phone, but many in poor communities can’t afford the cost of data.