ICASA’s 2026 service-charter changes: rollover, billing and the start date

The amendments published in 2026 are scheduled to take effect on 23 January 2027—not immediately. They require automatic, free rollover of qualifying unused bundles, out-of-bundle billing safeguards across bundle services and broader bundle-transfer rights. But they do not abolish data expiry, and bundles valid for seven days or less are excluded from mandatory rollover.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) published the amendments on 23 January 2026. Their formal title is the End-User and Subscriber Service Charter Amendment Regulations, 2025, despite the 2026 publication date. The gazette’s commencement clause provides twelve months before they come into force; Parliament’s announcement confirms 23 January 2027.

As of 19 October 2026, that is the scheduled date, not a guaranteed litigation outcome. TechCentral reported separate legal challenges by MTN and Vodacom, and SABC News also reported the dispute. Those reports describe challenges, not a ruling cancelling the regulations.

What the amended bundle rules say

The amendment defines a bundle as a set amount of data, voice minutes, Short Message Service (SMS) allowances or a combination, sold for one price and valid for a specified period. Its replacement regulation 8A brings these services into a common framework.

Not every safeguard starts from scratch. ICASA’s 2019 announcement already described usage notifications, data rollover and transfer provisions, and an option to opt into or out of out-of-bundle data billing. The forthcoming automatic, no-cost rollover requirement should not be confused with those existing protections.

The following requirements come from the final gazetted text, regulation 8A:

Issue	Requirement when the amendment takes effect
Usage alerts	Notifications at 50%, 80% and 100% depletion of each bundle, with an option to opt into or out of alerts.
Out-of-bundle billing	An option to opt into or out of out-of-bundle charges. Once a bundle is depleted, an operator must not permit out-of-bundle usage or charges without opt-in; the customer can instead buy another bundle.
Order of use	Use bundles with the earliest expiry first, then move to the next earliest-expiring bundle.
Rollover	Roll over qualifying unused bundles or portions at least once, automatically and without cost, provided the number remains active.
Transfers	Offer transfers of bundles or portions to another user of the same licensee’s services, retaining the original terms and conditions.
Operator faults	Extend validity when a customer cannot use a bundle because of a fault on the operator’s part.

“Out-of-bundle” means usage charged outside the purchased allowance. The opt-in rule matters because exhausting a bundle should not automatically trigger charges the customer did not agree to.

Rollover does not mean data lasts forever

The mandatory rollover provision excludes bundles valid for seven days or less, as well as uncapped, free and promotional bundles. An ordinary eight-day bundle is therefore on the included side of the duration threshold; a seven-day bundle is not.

For qualifying bundles, the unused balance must roll over at least once, under the same terms and conditions as the original bundle. That is not a promise of indefinite validity or unlimited repeated rollover. These limits are explicit in regulation 8A(5)–(6).

For example, suppose you buy an ordinary, non-promotional 30-day data bundle and have 2 GB left at expiry. Under the new requirement, that unused 2 GB must roll over at least once without you taking action or paying a rollover fee, provided your number remains active. If the purchase was instead a seven-day bundle or a promotional offer, the mandatory rollover provision would not apply.

The transfer rule has different boundaries. It excludes uncapped, free and promotional bundles, but does not repeat the seven-days-or-less exclusion. It also says transfers must not be restricted by service type, number of transfers or volume transferred, and must apply to any SIM card on the same network. It does not create a right to transfer a balance between competing operators. See regulation 8A(7)–(8).

What ICASA clarified in August 2026

On 14 August, ICASA clarified remarks made during an 11 August parliamentary briefing. It acknowledged operators’ support for the charter’s consumer-protection objective while noting alignment on substantive disputed issues.

Crucially, ICASA retracted its use of “collusion.” It said it had not conducted a market assessment or investigation establishing collusion, and had made no such finding. The regulator distinguished its observation of a shared industry position from evidence of coordinated or anti-competitive conduct.

The August clarification retracts that term; it does not announce withdrawal of the bundle amendments or a replacement commencement date.

What to check with your provider now

Before buying a bundle, check its validity period, whether it is promotional, its current rollover conditions and your out-of-bundle setting. Do not treat the future automatic-rollover requirement as already enforceable in October 2026.

For a billing or service complaint, keep the purchase confirmation, balance and expiry screenshots, relevant alerts and the provider’s replies. Ask for a complaint reference number.

ICASA’s published complaints procedure says to complain to the provider first and allow 14 working days for resolution. After that process, an unresolved complaint—or one with an unsatisfactory response—can be referred to ICASA in writing. State what happened, the amount or bundle affected and the remedy you want, rather than relying only on a headline about the forthcoming rules.