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ARTICLE · 05 DECEMBER 2019

Competition Commission Releases Final Report On Data Services Market Inquiry

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On the 2nd of December 2019, the Competition Commission released its final report on the Data Services Market Inquiry (Final Report).

South AfricaAntitrust/Competition Law
Jac Marais
Jac Marais
Nalo Gungubele
Nalo Gungubele
Njabulo Mazibuko
Njabulo Mazibuko
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On the 2nd of December 2019, the Competition Commission released its final report on the Data Services Market Inquiry (Final Report). The purpose of the inquiry was to identify the drivers of high prices in the data services market and to make recommendations to provide relief to consumers. The Commission has characterised the data services market as highly concentrated with a duopoly in the form of MTN and Vodacom, which enjoy significant market power relative to smaller competitors.

Some of the main findings of the Final Report include:

  • South African data prices are excessively high: This position was taken following an international benchmarking exercise, which showed that data prices in South Africa are significantly higher relative to other countries.

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