The East African Community (EAC) is seeking approval for revised regional roaming regulations that could lower the cost of cross-border calls and data services. The proposed Enhanced EAC Regional Roaming Regulation, 2026, aims to update the One Network Area (ONA) framework introduced in 2014. The EAC Council of Ministers is expected to review and approve the regulations. The framework has been implemented by six of the eight EAC Partner States, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Somalia yet to do so.
The proposed regulations seek to cap retail voice roaming charges at 5.9 US cents per minute, down from the existing 10 US cents, while wholesale voice charges would fall from seven US cents to 4.25 US cents per minute. The enhanced framework also proposes per-second billing without call-setup fees, wholesale data charges of US$1.65 per gigabyte and retail data charges of US$2.72 per gigabyte. Wholesale SMS charges would be set at 1.5 US cents per message, while retail SMS charges would remain at 2.7 US cents.
Bashir Dawe Sode, an ICT and performance management professional, said the framework had helped reduce cross-border communication costs and supported regional integration and business activities. However, its effectiveness had been affected by differing interpretations among Partner States, uneven regulatory oversight and outdated charging structures that did not reflect modern mobile data usage. Sode urged the EAC Council of Ministers to grant final approval to the Enhanced EAC Regional Roaming Regulation, 2026.
Safaricom Senior Manager for Regulatory and Public Policy Anthony Kamwaro said high international termination rates continued to make communication within the region expensive. He called for measures to make regional communication more competitive and highlighted changing consumer behaviour, with subscribers increasingly relying on internet-based applications rather than conventional voice calls when travelling within the region.
Kamwaro explained that operators continued to incur signaling, IPX and international network costs when terminating calls, even as customers shifted towards internet-based communication. He advocated for a regional clearinghouse to address foreign exchange losses arising from roaming settlements, which are often made in US dollars while operators collect revenue in local currencies.
Jamii Telecommunications Limited (JTL) representative Eric Ouko said the company had international roaming agreements with other operators but had not yet implemented regional roaming under the EAC ONA framework. He cited differences in network technologies and the challenge of integrating 4G networks with partner networks still operating on 2G and 3G as technical barriers that would need to be addressed.
The proposed framework is expected to strengthen regional cooperation and make cross-border communication more affordable. Its implementation, however, remains dependent on approval by the EAC Council of Ministers. If approved, the revised regulations will transform the voluntary guidelines into enforceable regional law, promoting a more integrated and connected East African region.
Key points
- EAC seeks to lower cross-border call and data charges with revised regional roaming regulations.
- Proposed regulations aim to update the One Network Area framework and strengthen regional digital connectivity.
- Revised rates will only take effect after approval by the EAC Council of Ministers.
