Johannesburg - Over-the-top (OTT) internet services, such as WhatsApp, could be regulated in South Africa depending on the outcome of planned Parliament hearings this month.
OTT services - which range from WhatsApp to Skype and Google Hangouts - allow users to make messages and calls over data networks - often at comparatively lower costs than traditional telephone calls or SMS.
Interestingly enough one of the main actors behind this drive (Vodacom) is coining it to the bank.
Over the top services (OTT), such as internet messaging application WhatsApp, are eating Vodacom’s ‘lunch’ but the company has no plan to block the service ... Meanwhile, Vodacom on Monday reported for the six months ended September 2015 that its data revenue in South Africa increased 33.4% in South Africa to R8.2bn for the period owing to strong demand and cheaper smartphones.