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The “Data must Fall” campaign efforts are now about to reap the benefits.The current news is the Competition Commission’s recommending that Vodacom and MTN reduce their mobile data pricing by half.The competition watchdog, which has been investigating the cost of data in the country, presented its final report in Pretoria on Monday.The Data Services Market Inquiry report is scathing to both carriers, saying they have to reduce data prices otherwise it will consider prosecution for exorbitant pricing.Furthermore, it says Vodacom and MTN must independently reach agreement with the Commission within two months on a reduction in the headline prices of all sub-500MB 30-day prepaid data bundles to reflect the same cost per MB as the 500MB 30-day bundle “or cost-based differences where such cost differences have been quantified, as well as the cessation of partitioning strategies that contribute to anti-poor pricing and/or inferior service outcomes.” The Commission says given their collective market position, adjustments to their prices should have a market-wide impact.
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Since 2016, South Africans have been complaining about the high price of data through the social media banner #DataMustFall.SA mobile operators have been under-pressure from the society regarding data prices, which led to launch of the inquiry by the Competition Commission and ICASA in August 2017.Now, the Competition Commission is recommending that all mobile operators must reach agreement with the Commission within three months to inform each subscriber, on a monthly basis, of the effective price for all data consumed by the customer.
South African young people are being exposed to technology that will prepare them for the workplace of the future and a digitally-driven economy.This is done through exposure to Artificial Intelligence (AI).Here, learners are taught how to build computer chatbots, package their individual tech solutions, and pitch their innovations as young entrepreneurs to a panel of judges during the three-day exercise.In this issue, we also explore ten predictions that examine how technology is changing the definition of what it means to be human, focusing on the impact of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), crypto-currency and online shopping trends on businesses and consumers.We were always aware of the skills shortage in South Africa, and that the solution to unemployment is skills development in the area of scarce skills.The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has further added a burden of demand for technical skills in relation to the digital economy.The technical skills 4IR needs are some of the scarcest skills in South Africa.This is made worse by the fact that more than half of our schools do not have computer labs, and it is estimated that it will, on average, cost R1 million to equip each school with an internet-connected lab.
The Chinese technology giant, Huawei, is considering plan B regarding its battle with the American president Donald Trump This means that 2-3 years after being banned entirely from Google, Huawei may be competing directly with the US tech giant for smartphone OS market share, and it will not revert to US solutions when it has reached this point.Huawei plans to try as much as possible to work with companies like Microsoft and Google, but if the US government prevents it from doing so, it is poised to smoothly transition to its own operating system and software ecosystem.
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