Concerns over the high costs of data and telephone calls have been raised by various political voices over time. .
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South African mobile users have long been frustrated by a familiar pattern: buying data or airtime only for it to expire unused, sometimes before the week is out.
That’s set to change dramatically after the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) published amended telecommunications regulations that will effectively outlaw the current practice of allowing purchased data to vanish at the end of its validity period.
Under the revised End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Amendment Regulations, mobile operators will be required to automatically roll over unused voice, SMS and data bundles of more than seven days at least once, at no extra cost and without any action by the user, so long as the SIM remains active.
Operators must also allow transfers of unused bundles to other users on the same network and provide transparent, standardised notifications as data is used up.
The regulations were gazetted in January 2026 and will take effect twelve months later, on 23 January 2027, giving the industry time to upgrade systems and adjust plans.
For everyday South Africans, from students managing tight data budgets to families relying on mobile connectivity for work, school and services, the shift is monumental.
More value for money
With unused data automatically rolling over, consumers will get more actual use out of what they already paid for, easing the sting of data that once simply disappeared.
Greater transparency & control
Staggered depletion alerts and clearer expiry policies are designed to help users make smarter decisions about how and when they consume services.
Fairer treatment under the law
Parliament and civil society hailed the amendments as critical consumer protections.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies,
For many consumers, the benefits are obvious. For telecoms providers and related businesses, however, the shift promises both challenges and opportunities.
Price pressures and revenue models
Mobile networks historically relied in part on “breakage revenue,” the implicit income from data that customers never used before expiry. By eliminating much of this breakage, the regulations could squeeze revenue models, especially on prepaid services.
Operators have publicly signalled they are reviewing the implications of the new regulations. Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C are assessing how the amendments will affect product design, billing systems, and long-term pricing strategies.
This doesn’t necessarily mean instant price hikes, but firms may seek other ways to sustain margins, such as bundling services or nudging more users toward longer-term subscriptions with higher average revenue per user.
Administrative and technical costs
Implementing automated rollovers and transfer mechanisms, along with layered notifications and compliance checks, will require system upgrades and operational changes. This is not a trivial backend task, and costs will likely be passed through to consumers in more subtle ways.
Competitive dynamics and product innovation
With expiry no longer a competitive lever, networks may compete more aggressively on price, bundle flexibility, and digital add-ons, such as content partnerships or app-platform loyalty packages.
There’s also scope for new third-party services: apps that help users track rolled-over data, visualise usage patterns, or optimise family data allocations could flourish.
Malatsi, framed the move as “relief for consumers” that aligns with broader efforts to make digital access more affordable and equitable.
South Africa is a country where mobile internet remains the primary gateway to the digital world, and where data costs form a significant part of household budgets. Therefore, this new move is a welcome policy shift that directly tackles a long-standing consumer grievance.
FAST COMPANY (SA)