EAC Moves to Slash Roaming Costs with Enhanced One Network Area Framework

The EAC  Partner States are taking bold steps to make roaming across the region cheaper, fairer, and more sustainable. The Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP) conducted national consultations with Governments, regulators, and mobile operators in August 2025, as part of the project’s connectivity market development and integration objective to enhance the EAC One Network Area (ONA) framework.

During the consultations, Partner States and sector players agreed on a new drive to strengthen the ONA framework, which has already slashed roaming costs but still faces gaps that must be addressed.

Dr. Franklin Makokha from the Communications Authority of Kenya stated that East Africans should be able to move, trade, and connect across borders without the burden of exorbitant phone bills, emphasizing that this initiative was about making regional integration tangible in people’s daily lives.

“We need to advance regional connectivity with a focus on affordability, accessibility, and interoperability.”

– Mr. Ferdinand Manirakiza, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Information Technologies and Media, Burundi

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) highlighted its determination to fully align with ONA, noting a harmonised regional roaming regime as a driver of integration across the Partner States.

“DRC seeks to align fully in order to benefit from participation in the ONA.”

– Mr. Dominique Mungimba Moket, Director of Telecommunications Market Regulations, Autorité de Régulation de Poste et de Télécommunication, DRC

Eng. Naima Hassan, Head of Interconnect, Pricing and Universal Service, National Communications Authority, Federal Republic of Somalia, emphasised the urgency of Somalia joining the ONA framework.

“It is strategic for Somalia to align with EAC rules and practices, including harmonising sector frameworks to advance the broader regional economic agenda.”

– Eng. Naima Hassan, Head of Interconnect, Pricing and Universal Service, National Communications Authority, Federal Republic of Somalia

The consultations observed that the successful implementation of ONA would greatly benefit from a standardised interconnect regulatory framework, providing a common set of rules for how networks connect. It was noted that such rules would enhance cost efficiency, streamline traffic routing, and ensure fair competition across national networks.

The consultations further noted that while affordability was the primary challenge, there were other key issues that needed to be addressed. Stakeholders agreed the revised framework must tackle illicit practices such as SIM boxing, set fair usage rules to prevent misuse, and protect smaller operators from being priced out by larger players, as well as the need for clear regional enforcement mechanisms.

Effective consumer education campaigns were noted to be equally important, as an uninformed consumer base, even with well-designed frameworks, may fall short of delivering meaningful socio-economic impact and achieving the intended benefits of seamless cross-border connectivity. The stakeholders noted that the current consumer awareness of ONA appears limited, which has also led to its underutilisation.

“The message is simple, ONA must work for everyone, the trader crossing a border, the student studying abroad, and the operator investing in networks; closing the gaps in ONA will unlock vast opportunities.”

– Ms. Julianne Mweheire, Director of Economic Regulation, Content and Consumer Affairs, Uganda Communications Commission

A revised ONA framework is expected to introduce safeguards against fraud, fair usage rules to prevent misuse and clearer regional enforcement mechanisms. It will also adapt to new technologies such as e-SIMs, IoT roaming and data-driven services, reflecting the changing landscape of digital communication.

The Partner States expressed strong support for an enhanced ONA framework, with Rwanda’s Senior Technologist for Digital Age Infrastructure and Platforms Interoperability at the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Mr. Fidel Karenzi, reaffirming the country’s commitment to fully support any citizen-focused digital initiative that demonstrates clear socio-economic benefits.

Mr. Fuad Adam Rwabuhungu, Manager of Telecommunication and Internet Management Services at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, stressed that a harmonised regional roaming regime is not only a driver of regional integration but also a catalyst for business growth and the wider regional economy.

For citizens, an enhanced framework translates to lower roaming costs and better connectivity when moving across the region. For mobile network operators, it promises fairer rules, stronger protections, and a more predictable business environment.

Eng. Papiti Okwacu, Director, Technical Services, National Communications Authority, South Sudan reiterated that a harmonised roaming regime was key to regional integration.

The national consultations brought together Ministries of ICT, Ministries responsible for EAC affairs, telecommunications regulators and licensed Mobile Network Operators with roaming authorisations in the Partner States. The objective of the consultations was to review and validate draft study findings on the enhancement of the ONA regional roaming framework for voice, data and SMS services, assess the national regulatory environment as well as gather additional relevant technical and commercial perspectives on implementation of ONA, pricing and operational considerations to inform enhancements to the regional roaming framework.