South Africa’s Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has confirmed that MTN and Vodacom may each face fines of up to R5 million, roughly $298,000, for failing to comply with new regulations governing the expiration, rollover, and transfer of mobile data bundles between customers. For big companies like MTN and Vodacom, this kind of bad publicity can be just as damaging as a fine. Solly Malatsi – South Africa’s Communications MinisterUnder the new rules, operators must send customers a notification (via SMS, push notification, or other means) when their bundle reaches 50%, 80%, and 100% usage. Why MTN and Vodacom are challenging the rules in courtDespite the threat of fines, MTN and Vodacom have initiated legal challenges concerning the regulations, filing their court applications in late July 2026. After MTN and Vodacom filed their court papers, Diko visited MTN’s offices and said publicly there’s no technical reason for mobile data to expire in South Africa.