Regional telecommunications regulators discuss cross-border connectivity challenges

Heads of Communications Regulatory Authorities from the East African Community (EAC) Partner States today convened in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Thursday  (May 27th) to review the draft Enhanced Regional Mobile Roaming Framework.  

Participants include: regulators, technical experts, regional organisations and development partners.

The framework aims at facilitating a seamless and affordable regional mobile roaming framework to strengthen connectivity, trade and regional integration across East Africa.

Through coordinated regulatory oversight and harmonised approaches across partner states, National communications regulators are expected to play a central role in implementing the framework. 

Key focus areas include: Consumer protection, Compliance monitoring, Pricing structures, Regulatory coordination, Dispute resolution mechanisms, and Technical and operational cooperation.

At the opening, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, observed that digital connectivity has become a strategic enabler of trade, investment, service delivery and citizen participation across borders.

“Affordable, seamless and reliable cross-border communication is no longer simply a telecommunications issue; it is a practical requirement for the realisation of the EAC Common Market and the emerging Single Digital Market,” said Malueth.

According to a release from EAC secretariat, he also noted that the proposed framework seeks to strengthen regulatory coordination and deliver practical solutions that improve how citizens, businesses and travellers experience regional integration in their daily lives.

The meeting highlighted the growing importance of digital connectivity in supporting trade, investment, movement of people and regional integration within the EAC Common Market and the emerging Single Digital Market.

Representing the Uganda Communications Commission Executive Director, Hon. Nyombi Thembo; Eng. Alfred Joseph Bogere, Director of Engineering and Communications Infrastructure, reaffirmed the importance of ensuring that no citizen is left behind in the digital age.

“We recognise that access to ICTs is no longer a luxury. It is now central to education, healthcare, commerce, governance, employment and social participation, and has become a core element of regional integration,” Eng. Bogere noted.

Representing Eng. Peter Mwasalyanda, Director General, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, Mr. John Wallace Daffa, Director, Licensing and Compliance, welcomed participants to Dar es Salaam and highlighted the country’s continued commitment to regional digital integration and competition within the communications sector.

Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth

Daffa noted that Tanzania currently has five mobile network operators operating competitively without monopoly, adding that the ongoing roaming reforms have already demonstrated the benefits of reduced roaming costs across the region.

“We can now witness the benefits when moving within the region. Roaming is no longer considered a luxury. This is aligned with the EAC vision of free movement of people, goods and services and reducing the cost of doing business,” Daffa stated.

The meeting reviewed key issues, including pricing structures, consumer protection measures, compliance monitoring, dispute resolution mechanisms and operational coordination required to support implementation of a harmonised regional mobile roaming framework.

National communications regulators play a central role in the successful implementation of the proposed Regional Mobile Roaming Framework by ensuring that roaming services remain affordable, seamless, reliable and consumer-centred across the East African Community.

Under the proposed framework, regulators are expected to provide coordinated regulatory oversight to support harmonised implementation among Partner States while safeguarding the interests of consumers and service providers.

Key responsibilities of national regulators will include the development and enforcement of common regulatory approaches on pricing structures, inter-operator arrangements and quality of service standards to ensure fair, transparent and affordable roaming charges across the region.

Regulators will also oversee compliance monitoring to ensure that mobile network operators adhere to agreed regional obligations, consumer protection requirements and operational standards under the framework.

In addition, regulatory authorities will strengthen cooperation and information sharing mechanisms to support effective regional coordination, address cross-border operational challenges and facilitate the timely resolution of disputes that may arise among operators or between operators and consumers.

The framework further envisages enhanced collaboration among regulators on technical and operational matters, including interoperability, traffic management, fraud prevention, data exchange and service continuity to improve customer experience for citizens travelling within the region.

Regional regulators emphasised that harmonised roaming arrangements will contribute towards reducing the cost of communication, facilitating movement of people and goods, supporting regional trade and strengthening digital inclusion across the East African Community.

The proposed framework is expected to strengthen institutional coordination and provide a more predictable regulatory environment that encourages investment, innovation and sustainable growth within the regional telecommunications sector.

The meeting was organised by the EAC Secretariat through the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP). The meeting was also attended by partners, namely, the World Bank, the East African Communications Organisation (EACO), and the Smart Africa Alliance.