The Wireless Access Providers’ Association of South Africa, WAPA, has opposed a proposal by major network operators to coordinate rural infrastructure rollouts, warning that the move could weaken competition and limit affordable connectivity in underserved communities.
The opposition follows an application by the Association for Comms and Technology, ACT, for a five-year exemption from certain provisions of South Africa’s Competition Act to allow large network operators to coordinate parts of their rural infrastructure deployments.
ACT represents several major operators, including Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom, Rain and Liquid Intelligent Technologies.
According to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, DTIC, the exemption would cover certain provisions of Chapter 2 of the Competition Act and remain in force for five years if approved.
Paul Colmer of WAPA said the proposal could discourage competition in rural areas by allowing large operators to coordinate where and when infrastructure is deployed.
“The pitch is simple: stop duplicating infrastructure, lower the cost of deployment, and reach places that remain underserved,” Colmer said.
However, he argued that the proposed exemption could make it difficult for smaller operators to compete in rural markets.
Colmer said the proposal goes beyond sharing existing infrastructure, as it would involve operators providing forward-looking planning information to an independent third party to identify areas where coordinated investment could take place.
Although the application does not cover retail pricing or market allocation, Colmer said coordinated infrastructure investment could still affect competition.
“In a thin rural market, the first operator to build a site may become the only operator with a rational reason to be there,” he said.
He also raised concerns about affordability, saying expanding network coverage alone would not guarantee greater access to telecommunications services.
“In many underserved communities, mobile coverage already exists. It may be patchy, but the bigger obstacle is often that people cannot afford to use it properly,” Colmer said.
He cited the Competition Commission’s Data Services Market Inquiry, which found that mobile data pricing had a significant impact on poorer consumers.
Colmer also pointed to gaps in the rollout of connectivity to public facilities as a reason for caution.
He said the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s 2026 State of the ICT Sector report showed that only 4,377 of 21,878 government facilities identified under spectrum licensing obligations had been connected by October 2025.
The facilities include schools, health centres, libraries and traditional authorities.
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WAPA has called on the Competition Commission to reject the exemption application in its current form.
However, Colmer said that if an exemption is approved, it should be subject to conditions designed to protect competition and consumers.
He proposed requirements including open and non-discriminatory wholesale access, measurable rural deployment targets, affordable retail options, enforceable service standards, transparent reporting and penalties for non-compliance.
He also called for smaller operators to have access to shared infrastructure and opportunities to compete in rural markets.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
