The Communications Users Association of SA (CUASA) will continue to lobby for effective competition in the South African telecommunications industry, says newly appointed chairman Edwin Thompson.
Thompson says the industry still has a long way to go before there is cost-effective communications on par with international trends. CUASA`s role in providing a voice for consumers is therefore critically important, he says.
Thompson promises CUASA will continue a sustained dialogue with government and other stakeholders with regard to the regulations and policies they make and how they affect users.
He says South Africans tend to purchase Internet services at the level they can afford rather than at a level they need. It is therefore important that telecoms prices come down and effective competition be enabled so that users can access telephony and Internet services at reasonable prices, he adds.
Thompson acknowledges there are challenging times ahead as the South African telecoms environment continues to change, and legislative and regulatory measures are put in place to create a more competitive environment.
On the issue of mobile number portability, Thompson says users will need to know how it will benefit them and whether the pricing structures they are familiar with will change.
"We have a duty to speak to our membership base and communicate how these changes will affect them," he says.
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