CAPE TOWN - Cell C has applied for an interdict against the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), claiming that they were not given enough time to implement the End-User and Subscriber Services Charter Regulations.
Following a move to shield consumers from high data cost and out-of-bundle rates, Icasa in May published regulations that all network providers were required to adhere to such as rolling over unused data to the following month.
After the announcement, network providers with the likes of MTN, Vodacom, Telkom and Cell C said that they were working on a strategy to somehow implement the new rules by June 8. However, MTN, Telkom and Cell C then reportedly requested an extended deadline. According to My Broadband, Cell C has now taken to court to request an interdict against Icasa.
Cell C lodged an interdict on Wednesday evening with a hearing set for 14:00 pm today, said Senior Manager for External Communications, Candice Jones. According to Jones, Cell C was forced to launch the application as they requested a deadline on numerous occasions.
Business Report asked Cell C how this will affect customers if the interdict is refused. “We substantially comply with the regulations. Customers can be assured that any impact will be managed by Cell C so as to have as little impact as possible on them. We will comment on next steps following the process this afternoon”, said Jones.
Cell C reportedly claims that they were not given enough time to implement the changes. The network provider claims that they are committed to complying with the new regulations however the time window that they were given was not enough. Cell C said that it requires a minimum of 6 months to comply with these regulations. While they are compliant with many of the provisions, extra time is needed to roll out changes across Cell C’s product suite, said Jones.
The process will involve changes being made to every system, legacy product and functions. These will also be tested. Cell C’ wholesale partners (MVNOs) will need to have technical integration as well.
Cell C maintained that while they are working hard to deliver these changes it is simply technically impossible to be 100% compliant by Friday. “Cell C remains fully committed to complying with the requirements and is only asking for a reasonable amount of time to execute these complex changes on its systems to the benefit of customers”, concluded Jones.