Telkom on Wednesday enabled data transfer and the rollover of unused data, effectively becoming the first mobile operator to implement the End-user Subscriber Service Charter Regulations tabled earlier this year.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), in May, gazetted the regulations with a stipulated one-month grace period for mobile operators to implement the new minimum standards for the provision of data, SMSes and voice services and data expiry and out-of-bundle services.
However, Cell C secured a suspension of the June 8 deadline to procure a “reasonable timeline for implementation of the regulations”, requesting a six-month extension to comply.
Amid a court case, mobile operators Cell C and MTN South Africa earlier this month reached an agreement with Icasa over the implementation of the charter regulations.
The terms of the settlement set a new date of February 28, 2019, for the implementation of the regulations by mobile operators.
However, Telkom now offers customers on all plans the ability to transfer their data between Telkom mobile customers and have extended data validity periods.
“[Telkom] proceeded with the implementation of the end-user subscriber charter, despite regulatory uncertainty because Telkom believes it is the right thing to do for the customer and consistent with its vision to lead the charge on data,” Telkom mobile products and services Andrew Dawson said in a statement on Monday.
“In its implementation of the customer services charter, Telkom has ensured that there is greater benefit for customers who buy smaller bundles from 25 MB to 500 MB. These customers, on prepaid packages, will now have up to six months to use their data purchases,” he concluded.