VoIP • Regulation

The ECA Amendment Bill: what it means for your business phone and data bill

South Africa’s Electronic Communications Amendment Bill (B12-2026) would force the biggest mobile networks to share. Here is what it changes for business buyers, what it does not, and when any of it could reach your invoice.

Last verified 29 September 2026By the WhichVoIP editorial team7 min read

22 Apr 2026Bill introduced in Parliament

90%coverage that makes a network an “access provider”

60 daysto conclude a roaming or MVNO deal on request

18 monthsfor ICASA’s wholesale pricing rules

The short answer

Will the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill make business phone and data services cheaper?

Not straight away. The Bill is still before Parliament. If it passes, the largest mobile networks must offer roaming and MVNO access on request, ICASA must set cost-based wholesale prices, and unused spectrum can be handed to others. That lowers what smaller providers pay, but ICASA gets up to 18 months after commencement to write the pricing rules.

of unused spectrum before “use it or share it” applies

to agree facilities leasing terms (up from 20)

for ICASA to publish the essential facilities list

maximum gap between reviews of that list

Cellular mast on a hilltop above a South African city at dusk — The Bill targets the inputs behind your service: towers, backhaul, ducts and spectrum. Networks covering at least 90% of the population carry the new sharing duties.

What is in the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill?

Six changes to the Electronic Communications Act, all aimed at the same thing: making it cheaper and faster for smaller operators to use infrastructure the big networks already own.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies introduced the Bill in the National Assembly on 22 April 2026. Its long title says it aims to enable a national standard by-law for rapid network deployment, apply a “use it or share it” principle to spectrum, and regulate roaming and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) services. This is what the text of the Bill itself says:

Change	What the Bill says	Who it hits first
National roaming and MVNO access	An “access provider” (a network with IMT spectrum and coverage of at least 90% of the population) must offer national roaming and MVNO services on request and sign an agreement within 60 days, extendable by 60 more. Unresolved disputes go to ICASA, which must decide within 60 days.	The largest mobile networks, and every smaller operator wanting to resell on them
“Use it or share it” spectrum	Spectrum left unused in an area for two years can be assigned to a secondary licensee, with preference for community networks and SMMEs and no spectrum fee for the first 12 months.	Spectrum holders; community networks and SMMEs gain access
Essential facilities	ICASA must list essential facilities within 12 months of commencement. Holders must agree non-discriminatory lease terms within 60 days, and the old right to refuse a request as “not technically or economically feasible” is removed.	Owners of towers, ducts, backhaul and landing stations
Wholesale pricing rules	ICASA must (not “may”) set wholesale pricing rules within 18 months, including for roaming and MVNO services. Essential facilities must be priced at cost plus a reasonable return.	Wholesale sellers; lower input costs for resellers
Market inquiries	ICASA can run market inquiries and impose remedies on licensees it finds harm competition, including wholesale access obligations and rate regulation.	Dominant operators in any market ICASA investigates
Municipal rollout	A national standard by-law with a uniform wayleave process and cost-based fees for using municipal property.	Fibre and tower builders dealing with municipalities

The Bill does not name any operator. TechCentral reads the 90% coverage test as, in effect, Vodacom and MTN. The final list will depend on how ICASA applies the definition.

What does the Bill mean for business phone and data buyers?

Almost nothing on day one, and potentially a lot over three years. The Bill regulates what operators charge each other, not what you pay.

A business phone setup in South Africa usually rests on three things: the voice service (a cloud PBX or VoIP lines), the connectivity it runs over (fibre, wireless or a mobile data backup) and, increasingly, company SIMs. The Bill reaches each one differently.

Biggest effect

Mobile lines and data

MechanismRoaming and MVNO access
What could changeMore providers selling SIMs on the big networks
RelevanceCompany SIMs, mobile backup for VoIP

Fibre and backhaul

MechanismEssential facilities, cost-based pricing
What could changeCheaper inputs for smaller ISPs
RelevanceOffice fibre, especially outside metros

VoIP and cloud PBX

MechanismIndirect, through connectivity
What could changeProviders bundling voice with mobile and data
RelevanceBundled quotes, not per-minute rates

The mobile clauses matter most. An MVNO sells mobile service on someone else’s network. Today a smaller provider needs a commercial deal with a big network to do that. Under the Bill, the big networks would have to offer one within 60 days of a request, with ICASA as referee. For a business buyer, that could mean more VoIP and cloud PBX providers offering company SIMs and mobile data backup on the same invoice as your phone system.

The fibre effect is slower. Removing the “not feasible” refusal and pricing essential facilities at cost plus a reasonable return should lower what smaller ISPs pay for backhaul, towers and ducts. Whether that reaches you depends on competition in your area.

Watch out: nothing in the Bill changes an existing contract. The pricing rules only arrive after the Bill becomes law, and ICASA has up to 18 months (extendable by six) to publish them.

The Bill does not cut your phone bill. It cuts what your provider pays the big networks, and competition decides how much of that reaches you.

WhichVoIP editorial view

When could the Bill take effect?

Parliament’s committee stage is under way. After that the Bill still needs a National Assembly vote, the National Council of Provinces and the President’s signature.

22 April 2026

The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies introduces the Bill in the National Assembly.

21 Aug to 21 Sep 2026

The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies extends written submissions by a month, to 21 September 2026.

Committee deliberations, a National Assembly vote, the National Council of Provinces, then assent. No date has been set.

Within 12 months of commencement

ICASA publishes the list of essential facilities.

Within 18 months of commencement

ICASA prescribes national roaming regulations, MVNO regulations and wholesale pricing rules. Each deadline can be extended by six months.

Two years after commencement

Spectrum assigned since 10 December 2021 that is still unused in an area becomes subject to “use it or share it”. Spectrum assigned after the Bill takes effect gets two years from its assignment date.

Should your business wait for the Bill before buying a phone system?

No. The earliest meaningful price effects sit at least a year after the Bill becomes law. Buy what you need now, but buy it in a way that lets you benefit later.

Don’t delay a needed upgradeA failing PBX or unreliable lines cost more today than any future wholesale saving is likely to return.

Keep contract terms short or reviewableWhere you can, prefer month-to-month or 12-month terms, or ask for a price-review clause on multi-year connectivity contracts.

Get voice and connectivity itemised separatelyIf the two are priced apart, you can move the cheaper part later without unpicking the whole deal.

Ask providers about mobileAsk whether they plan to offer company SIMs or mobile data backup. MVNO access is the part of the Bill most likely to change what a phone system provider can bundle.

IP desk phone and smartphone on an office desk beside supplier quotes — Itemised quotes, with voice separate from connectivity, keep your options open as wholesale rules change.

Our verdict

This is the most significant change to telecoms competition rules in years, and the direction is good for business buyers: more providers able to sell mobile and data on the big networks, and cheaper inputs for smaller ISPs. It is also slow. The Bill is still in committee, the detail sits in ICASA regulations that do not exist yet, and nothing forces a provider to pass savings on.

Our recommendation: don’t wait. Compare providers now on today’s prices, keep terms flexible, and ask each shortlisted provider what it plans to do with MVNO access.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill B12-2026?

It is a Bill introduced in the National Assembly on 22 April 2026 to amend the Electronic Communications Act, 2005. It would require the largest mobile networks to offer national roaming and MVNO access on request, apply a “use it or share it” rule to spectrum, tighten access to essential facilities and require ICASA to set wholesale pricing rules.

Has the ECA Amendment Bill been passed?

No. As of 29 September 2026 the Bill is before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, which closed written submissions on 21 September 2026. It still needs a National Assembly vote, the National Council of Provinces and the President’s assent.

What is an “access provider” in the Bill?

An electronic communications network service licensee that holds IMT (mobile) spectrum and has network coverage of at least 90% of the population. Access providers must offer national roaming and MVNO services on request and conclude an agreement within 60 days, extendable by a further 60.

What does “use it or share it” mean for spectrum?

Where spectrum assigned since 10 December 2021 is still unused in an area two years after the Bill takes effect (or two years after assignment, for spectrum assigned later), ICASA must apply the principle and can license another operator to use it. ICASA should prefer community networks and SMMEs, and the secondary licensee pays no spectrum fee for its first 12 months.

Will the Bill lower VoIP call rates?

Not directly. The Bill regulates wholesale access and pricing between operators, not retail VoIP call rates. Any effect on what a business pays for voice would come indirectly, through cheaper connectivity and more competition among providers.

When will ICASA’s new wholesale pricing rules apply?

The Bill gives ICASA 18 months after it comes into operation to prescribe wholesale pricing rules, extendable by six months. The list of essential facilities is due within 12 months. None of these clocks start until the Bill becomes law.

Keep reading

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Sources: Parliament of South Africa, Electronic Communications Amendment Bill (B12-2026); Bill text (PDF); Parliamentary Monitoring Group; The Citizen, submission deadline extension; TechCentral. Verified 29 September 2026.