South Africa's acting minister of communications and digital technologies, Jackson Mthembu has published a directive that revises the coronavirus regulations for mobile networks, reports BusinessTech. It deletes a number of requirements introduced by the Department of Communications on 26 March when the country entered lockdown. Notably, the directive deletes the section relating to prices and number porting.
People will now be able to port their numbers between mobile networks once again, effectively allowing customers to switch provider. Mobile networks are allowed to increase prices for their products, too. This had been banned for the duration of the Covid-19 national disaster. This also applies to other licensed entities such as ISPs.
The other major amendment relates to tracking and tracing people who have contracted the coronavirus, or who had come into contact with someone who has had it. Previously, the government required mobile networks and internet companies to provide location data to help the government track the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The amendment means that this is no longer a requirement, and these companies no longer have to provide this information.
