By KPC Reporter
The East African Community (EAC) has launched a fresh push to lower cross-border mobile communication costs through development of a harmonised Regional Mobile Roaming Framework.
The initiative is aimed at boosting trade, strengthening connectivity and accelerating implementation of the EAC Single Digital Market agenda.
Also Read
The regional engagements, underway in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have brought together telecommunications experts, policymakers, heads of communications regulatory authorities and regional institutions under the Meeting of the Technical Committee on Telecommunications.
Welcoming delegates, the Tanzanian government said the discussions mark an important step toward deeper regional telecommunications integration.
“We appreciate the decision to host these important meetings in Dar es Salaam, recognising that the outcomes of these engagements will contribute significantly towards reducing the cost of telecommunications services and improving communication across the region,” said Mr Philemon Machaine, Principal ICT Officer at Tanzania’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
Chairperson of the meeting and Principal Regional Integration Officer for Science and Technology at Uganda’s Ministry of EAC Affairs, Mr George Lwevoola, said discussions on regional mobile roaming began in 2013 and have progressively shaped efforts to make communication services more affordable and accessible across East Africa.
“Efforts aimed at making communications affordable within the region have been ongoing for more than a decade. While significant progress has been made, Partner States have also jointly implemented various initiatives, including the One Network Area, which have provided valuable lessons and experiences that continue to inform development of a sustainable and harmonised regional roaming framework for the Community,” said Mr Lwevoola.
He added that the meeting is expected to deliver further progress toward reducing communication costs and facilitating business and regional integration through improved connectivity.
Opening the meeting, EAC Deputy Secretary General for Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Andrea Ariik Malueth, described digital connectivity as a strategic pillar for regional integration and economic transformation.
“Affordable and seamless communication across borders is essential for deepening regional integration, supporting trade and enabling East Africans to fully participate in the digital economy. The proposed Regional Mobile Roaming Framework is therefore a critical step towards realising the EAC Single Digital Market vision,” he said.
Although the existing EAC Roaming Framework adopted in 2014 helped lower communication costs, Ariik noted that high roaming charges, uneven implementation and differing regulatory approaches continue to hinder seamless regional connectivity.
According to the EAC, expensive roaming services continue to burden cross-border traders, transport operators, tourists, students and businesses that depend on mobile communication while moving across the region. High costs for voice calls, SMS and mobile data remain a barrier to trade efficiency, business continuity and wider socio-economic interaction.
The ongoing engagements are reviewing findings of a regional study on implementation of the current roaming framework and deliberating a draft long-term Regional Mobile Roaming Framework designed to create a sustainable and harmonised regulatory mechanism for International Mobile Roaming Services.
The study, conducted by the EAC Secretariat with support from the World Bank under the Eastern African Regional Digital Integration Project, examined policy, legal, regulatory, commercial and technical factors affecting regional roaming.
Among the key challenges identified were inconsistent regulatory and commercial practices, high interconnection and transit costs, tax disparities, fraud risks, uneven service quality and limited consumer awareness.
The study also found that the existing framework remains largely voice-focused and does not adequately address growing demand for affordable mobile data services required to support e-commerce, digital payments and broader digital integration.
To address these gaps, the proposed framework recommends harmonised measures including stronger consumer protection, cost-based tariffs, enhanced compliance mechanisms, improved quality of service and long-term sustainability of roaming services.
The outcomes of the week-long discussions are expected to guide subsequent policy processes, including submission of the draft framework to the Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology for consideration and adoption.
Regional institutions participating in the engagements include IGAD, Smart Africa Alliance and the East African Communications Organisation (EACO).
