The media is invited to the public hearings of the Competition Commission’s Data Services Market Inquiry be held next week.
 
The hearings will be held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 17 to 19 October 2018, in Sunnyside, Pretoria, at the offices of the Commission, at the Department of Trade and Industry - DTI Campus.
 
The Commission is conducting a Data Services Market Inquiry to understand the general state of competition in the data services sector. The Commission has reason to believe that there are features in the sector that may prevent, distort or restrict competition.
 
The focus will include whether prices are higher than they ought to be; the causes and remedies for high prices; and the impact of data prices and access to data on lower income customers, rural customers, small businesses and the unemployed.
 
The Inquiry will be chaired by the Commission’s Chief Economist, Liberty Mncube, and he will be joined by two other members, Chief Legal Counsel, Bukhosibakhe Majenge, and Head of Inquiry Technical Team, Mr Jason Aproskie.
 
Some of the organisations and companies that will testify include representatives from Amandla.mobi, Right2Know Campaign, Research ICT Africa, DG Murray Trust, Internet Society of South Africa, Internet Service Providers Association, Vodacom, MTN South Africa, Telkom, Cell C, Afrihost, Internet Solutions, African National Congress, Inkatha Freedom Party, and Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services.
 
The hearings will be held as follows:
 
17 – 19 October 2018
Department of Trade and Industry
Block D, DG 16 & 20
77 Meintjies Street
Sunnyside
Pretoria
 
Media wishing to attend the hearings and/or want to arrange for interviews can contact:
 
Lydia Molefe, Communications Coordinator, at
Tel: 012 394 3493/072 2754 507
 
Issued by:
Sipho Ngwema, Head of Communications
On behalf of the Competition Commission of South Africa
Tel: 012 394 3493/ 081 253 8889
Email: SiphoN@compcom.co.za