By:
Kanto Kai Okanta
Heads
of communications regulatory authorities from East African Community (EAC)
Partner States have met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to deliberate on a proposed
Enhanced Regional Mobile Roaming Framework aimed at improving connectivity and
reducing communication costs across the region.
The
high-level policy meeting focused on advancing affordable, seamless, secure and
harmonised mobile roaming services within the EAC Common Market and the
emerging Single Digital Market agenda.
The
initiative, convened by the EAC Secretariat through the Eastern Africa Regional
Digital Integration Project with support from the World Bank, brought together
regulators tasked with shaping cross-border telecommunications policy in the
region.
Discussions
underscored the importance of digital connectivity in facilitating trade,
investment, mobility and deeper regional integration across East Africa.
Participants noted that improved roaming arrangements are critical to
supporting economic activity and easing communication barriers for citizens
travelling within Partner States.
The
proposed framework outlines several priority areas for regulatory cooperation,
including consumer protection, pricing structures, compliance monitoring,
dispute resolution mechanisms, technical coordination and harmonisation of
regulatory approaches across jurisdictions.
Regulators
also discussed measures to improve interoperability, ensure service continuity
and enhance transparency in roaming charges, alongside efforts to strengthen
quality of service standards for mobile users.
Officials
emphasized that national communications regulators will play a central role in
implementing the framework through coordinated oversight and aligned regulatory
practices, as the region moves toward a more integrated digital economy.
