ICASA Initiates Inquiries into Telecommunications Affordability and OTT Services Impact

Posted 04 September 2026 Written by Acts Online
Category Communications & Digital Technologies

Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has gazetted notices signaling the commencement of two sector inquiries into telecommunications pricing affordability and the market impact of over-the-top (OTT) services.

Published under the broad regulatory framework of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act, No. 13 of 2000 and the Electronic Communications Act, No. 36 of 2005, the inquiries target market structures across both traditional telecommunications and emergent digital services.

Scope of the Inquiries

The authority has split its regulatory focus across two discrete investigations:

  • Telecommunications Affordability: Addressing sustained concerns regarding the high cost of voice and broadband data access. The inquiry specifically evaluates pricing barriers affecting low-income households, rural communities, youth, and informal sector workers, with a view toward advancing digital inclusion, economic participation, and access to basic services.
  • Impact of Over-The-Top (OTT) Services: Evaluating the operational, competitive, and regulatory implications of OTT communication and content applications on traditional licensed telecommunications operators, following policy discussions initiated at parliamentary committee level.

Stakeholder participation questionnaires are due to be published by the regulator to solicit formal industry and public responses regarding market dynamics, cost models, and regulatory intervention thresholds.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: Monitor developments to anticipate downstream retail pricing shifts and access tiers for mobile broadband and voice services.
  • For your business: Audit corporate telecommunications, cloud voice, and digital communications expenditure to assess potential exposure to regulatory interventions targeting OTT applications.
  • For your clients: Advise licensed electronic communications service (ECS) providers, internet service providers (ISPs), and digital platform operators to prepare cost, bandwidth, and revenue data ahead of formal ICASA questionnaire deadlines.

Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/icasa-telecommunications-affordability-over-the-top-services-impact-inquiries-announced

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Acts Online. Acts Online accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the article, nor does the information contained herein constitute advice, legal or otherwise.