By Jean Pierre Afadhali
The Republic of Burundi has joined the East African Community (EAC), One Network Area (ONA) to benefit from the cheaper calls’ regime, with the expansion of the regional network effective 1st August, 2024.
In a communiqué to the public dated 29th July, 2024, the Burundi Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency (ACRT) announced the entry into force from 1st August, 2024 of new tariffs for regional roaming in accordance with the directives of Decree No. 100/202 of 2nd October, 2023 on the accession of Burundi to the EAC ONA.
Burundi now joins Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania as Partner States that have implemented the ONA that effectively reduces the high cost of telecommunications in the region.
“These unique tariffs, competitive on a regional scale, will significantly reduce the costs of cross-border communications within the EAC,” said ACRT in its communiqué.
ACRT further directed mobile network operators to clearly communicate the applicable tariffs for regional direct and roaming framework communications and apply the detailed billing to verify the communications made and the amounts invoiced, adding that this would ensure a transparent, reliable and satisfactory user experience.
The entry of Burundi into the ONA means that six (6) out of the eight (8) EAC Partner States have now onboarded into the arrangement that promises cheaper calls and mobile data roaming charges across the region. The newest countries in the bloc – the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Federal Republic of Somalia are yet to join the ONA.
The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik, has hailed the Republic of Burundi for her decision to join the network adding that the move would ease the cost of doing business in East Africa and aid the free movement of persons, workers, services and capital as enshrined in the EAC Common Market Protocol.
“The entry of Burundi will reduce the high cost of mobile roaming charges in the region and strengthen the integration process because East Africans can now communicate more easily without fear of high billing charges on mobile calls whether at home or in another Partner State,” said the DSG, who spoke on behalf of the EAC Secretary General, H.E. Veronica Nduva.
“The ONA also promotes easier communication among the business community who have to span the entire region while transacting merchandise or services. We look forward to a time when all the eight (8) Partner States will be fully on the network. It will be a big boost on our journey to an integrated East Africa,” added Hon. Ariik.
The framework for harmonised EAC roaming was developed and approved by the 30th Meeting of the Council of Ministers in 2014 and endorsed by the EAC Heads of State in February 2015. The framework-imposed price caps on roaming charges and called for the removal of surcharges on cross-border telecommunications traffic originating and terminating within the East African Community.
The 16th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State directed the Council to expedite the implementation of the Framework for Harmonised EAC Roaming Charges, including the removal of surcharges for international telecommunications traffic originating and terminating within the EAC by 15th July, 2015.
