EAC States to scrap mobile roaming charges in October, says Matiang'

Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary Dr.Fred Matiangi (left) flanked by Deputy Governor, Nairobi County Jonathan Mueke,during the Marking of International Youth Day at KICC, Nairobi. PHOTO DAVID NJAAGA.

Kenya: Roaming charges by mobile networks in the five East African Community (EAC) countries will be scrapped, ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has disclosed.

He said discussions have been ongoing to do away with the inter-connectivity fees charged by mobile networks for calls and data originating from another country. “Discussions have been going on to eliminate roaming charges so that calls made from any of the EAC member States are treated as local,” explained Dr Matiang’i.

Mobile subscribers

He said the discussions would culminate in five Heads of State of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda converging in Kampala, Uganda, on October 9, to endorse the waiver of the roaming charges.

Different tax regimes in the five EAC member States,Matiang’i observed during an interview last week, contribute to variation in calling rates from one country to another.

The planned scrapping of roaming charges will be a reprieve to mobile subscribers who have been incurring high communication costs and a step in the right direction in regional integration efforts. Safaricom charges Sh25 to receive calls in Tanzania and Uganda while its subscribers who make calls while in Tanzania are charged Sh75 and Sh85 in Uganda.

Kenya has been pushing for favourable call rates within the EAC with Government officials and the private sector saying that the high call rates are a non-tariff barrier to trade.

Non-Tariff Barriers refer to restrictions that result from prohibitions, conditions, or specific market requirements that make importation or exportation of products difficult and/or costly.

Safaricom, on its part, has been urging EAC Governments to consider easing taxes levied on mobile operators within the region in order to put an end to high roaming charges.

Roaming is a service that allows subscribers outside the geographical coverage of their home network (country) to access voice, data and SMS services from other countries.

On Konza Technopolis City, Matiang’i said the Government is fast-tracking its infrastructural development while ensuring that it meets global standards as a sustainable world-class technology hub and a major economic driver.

He said investors are beginning to realise the Government is committed to the execution of the project as it has taken crucial steps like adoption of strategic environmental assessment and bringing on board a globally renown consortium, Tetra Tech Inc as a Master Delivery Partner. Matiang’i said 30 companies have shown interest in investing in the ICT project in the last one month bringing the number of local and foreign investors to 355. He said disagreement on which county the ICT project is located has not derailed the implementation of the project. ‘We’ll develop Konza regardless of where it is located. It is a national project. Leaders should separate development and politics,” said Matiang’i.

ICT project

There has been a simmering tussle between leaders from Makueni and Machakos counties on the location of the ICT project, with each side claiming it is located in their county.

On digital migration, Matiang’i said Kenya is set to meet the 2015 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) deadline for digital broadcasting migration despite legal suits, which have sought to delay the phasing out of analogue TV. However, he said the ministry would respect court decisions as it strives to meet the ITU deadline. “We’ll stick to the law. Our actions are guided by the law.”