A Kenyan trader who lands in Kampala, Kigali or Dar es Salaam may soon pay much less to call home, if East Africa's ministers approve a long-awaited overhaul of roaming charges.

The proposed Enhanced EAC Regional Roaming Regulation, 2026 is awaiting approval by the EAC Council of Ministers. It would update the One Network Area (ONA) framework introduced in 2014. The details came up at an oversight meeting of the East African Legislative Assembly's (EALA) Committee on Communication, Trade and Investment. The meeting was held at Safari Club Hotel in Nairobi on Tuesday, 3 November, and chaired by EALA MP Kanini Kega.

What would change

The draft rules propose:

  • Retail voice calls capped at 5.9 US cents a minute, down from 10 cents
  • Wholesale voice rate between operators of 4.25 cents, down from 7 cents
  • Per-second billing with no call set-up fees
  • Roaming data at US$1.65 per GB wholesale and US$2.72 per GB retail
  • SMS at 1.5 cents wholesale, with the retail rate staying at 2.7 cents

The framework was technically validated in May and endorsed by a sectoral council in July. Six of the eight partner states (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan) already apply ONA. The DR Congo and Somalia do not.

Operators point to the dollar problem

"Since then, now it is 12 years. So, it has to reflect the current market prices," said ICT specialist Bashir Dawe Sode, who urged MPs to push for quick approval.

Safaricom's senior manager for regulatory and public policy, Anthony Kamwaro, said high termination rates keep calls within the region expensive. "Why is it cheaper to call China or the US from East Africa than within the block?" he asked. He said operators settle regional traffic in US dollars, which exposes them to foreign exchange losses. He added that many travellers now avoid paid calls altogether: "You will come into Kenya, receive a phone call and not call back."

Eric Ouko of Jamii Telecommunications said his firm has international roaming deals but has not yet implemented ONA. He cited the difficulty of connecting 4G networks to partner networks that still run on 2G and 3G.

Hurdles before your bill drops

Participants listed foreign exchange instability, uneven termination rates, accidental roaming from cross-border signal spillover, SIM-box fraud and permanent roaming as obstacles. They recommended:

  • A regional roaming task force to coordinate compliance
  • A regional clearinghouse to settle traffic and cut currency costs
  • Harmonised ICT taxes and tariffs
  • Technical help for the DR Congo and Somalia

The new rates will only take effect once the Council of Ministers approves them.

Photos: KNA via The Star (EALA oversight meeting chaired by Kanini Kega, Safari Club Hotel, Nairobi). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.