In response to Tashy's comment. Fair enough..... it will affect many people's jobs etc....as you say. However there has been a far greater cost that this country has paid over the last years and an even greater risk of it continuing into the future. The problem with monopolies and price fixing is that it is illegal, it hinders entrepreneurs from bringing new value to the technology market and it is something that puts South African business on the back foot when trying to compete in the global market. Telecommunications are critical to business growth

In simple terms: high cost of communication means a necessary tendency to hold back when it comes to communication. This does nothing towards the promotion of efficient business practice through employing healthy, timely communication. Let's face it; if ever any country in this era of high-tech communication has been dealt a totally strangling deal in this ultra-important facet of the business world, South Africa must be right at the top of the list of the criminally exploited. In fact, since the cellphone fraternity appeared on the scene, businesses have been dealt a serious blow to their overall efficiency. In fact, high-tech systems, at the hyper-inflated prices they have been made available to the business world, have played a huge part in leading the world economic conditions to where they are right now; the worst it has been in living memory if we are willing to be totally honest about the assessment. Of what use are all the hoarded billions that the fatcats of this world grab and so greedily hang on to. The time for the whole world to wake up has arrived. All the signs of what is in the pipeline are very clear. If the awakening does not take place, and with immediate effect, the whole world will die in its sleep. There are no other alternatives!

You need to look at the financial reports and you will figure out how these companies are more than doubling profits from over charging. Retrenching employees is not the issue as these people get paid peanuts compared to what the directors and board members collect. They are ripping us off and it has to stop!! Your comments have no bearings and are unfounded. We cannot condone what's happening, in our country we call it daylight robbery, not sure where you are from.

Has anyone looked into the rates these cellphone companies charge the corporate and local government users. I have heard that these rates are extremely low. Are we the public paying to support the fat cats again.

Even if interconnect fees are dropped this would not mean that call charges will be dropped by the same value. The only guys that will benifit is Cell C and Telkom seeing that the mejority of their cell/landline calls gets terminated either to Vodacom or MTN. We have to look in restricting the amount of Rands cellular companies can charge their customers (per minute) inrrespective of the interconnect fees.

I cannot believe that we have this huge investigation into the cell phone cost yet no one has the balls to administer a huge enquiry like this one into the Eskom hikes. I would rather go without cell phones than electricity.

Hi there People of SA, You may think that these Cellular Networks are incorrectly billing you, but look at the bigger picture how people have these companies employed..?Cutting some of these rates may result in People getting retrenched, umemployement rate dropping, more thefts,hijackings etc because the cost of living is so high already..?I can assure you dropping these costs will ensure that Investors will not invest as much in the country or these companies, that allows to have competations like the MTN super 8,Vodacom Rugby cup,FIFA world cup for instance and all the investing in our communities...Lets not all just think about ourselves for once but for everyone in this country....Think of it in this way, Those people who can afford to give to charities you are giving in another way....Let me leave you people of SA something to Ponder about.

The cellphone companies have been milking us dry for years and using their HUGE profits to fund expansion in other countries instead of improving their local service. The MTN CEO gets paid about R20 million a year. Why? Because he steers a company skilfully to rob us blind!!!

Collusion between the cellular operators is a fact, not myth. They are unconscionable corporate thieves, beholden only to their greedy shareholders and bottomless back pockets. They state that reducing cellular costs "will jeopardise economic growth"...... if so, what does raping the man in the street with the highest cellular costs in the world do to our fragile third world economy?

I welcome the proposal of cutting the interconnect rates that the cellular providers are charging us as customer. South African's voice and data charges are much higher that the likes of America and Europe and needs to be regulated.