East African Community working to cut mobile roaming charges among eight member states

The East African Community kicks off a series of regional engagements aimed at advancing the development of a harmonized Regional Mobile Roaming Framework.

This is meant to support affordable cross-border communication, enhance regional trade and accelerate implementation of the EAC Single Digital Market agenda.

East African Community is a regional block comprising Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda.

The engagements, taking place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 25th to 29th May, 2026 bring together regional telecommunications experts, policymakers, Heads of Communications Regulatory Authorities and regional partner institutions under the Meeting of the Technical Committee on Telecommunications.

“We appreciate the decision to host these important meetings in Dar es Salaam, recognizing that the outcomes of these engagements will contribute significantly towards reducing the cost of telecommunications services and improving communication across the region,” said Mr. Philemon Machaine, Principal ICT Officer, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, United Republic of Tanzania.

The Chairperson of the Meeting, Principal Regional Integration Officer for Science and Technology, Ministry of EAC Affairs, Republic of Uganda, Mr. George Lwevoola, observed that regional discussions on mobile roaming within the EAC formally commenced in 2013 and have since registered steady progress towards making cross-border communication more affordable and accessible across the region.

“Efforts aimed at making communications affordable within the region have been ongoing for more than a decade. While significant progress has been made, Partner States have also jointly implemented various initiatives, including the One Network Area, which have provided valuable lessons and experiences that continue to inform development of a sustainable and harmonized regional roaming framework for the Community,” noted Mr. Lwevoola.

 “We hope to register further progress towards making communication services cheaper and facilitating business and regional integration through improved connectivity,” he added.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political sectors, Andrea Ariik Malueth, observed that digital connectivity has become a strategic enabler of regional integration, trade and economic transformation within the Community.

“Affordable and seamless communication across borders is essential for deepening regional integration, supporting trade and enabling East Africans to fully participate in the digital economy. The proposed Regional Mobile Roaming Framework is therefore a critical step towards realizing the EAC Single Digital Market vision,” Ariik noted.

High roaming charges continue to affect cross-border traders, transport operators, tourists, students and businesses that rely on mobile communication services while travelling within the region. The cost of voice calls, SMS and mobile data services across borders remains a barrier to trade efficiency, business continuity and socio-economic interaction among East Africans.

“Cross-border traders, transport operators, tourists and businesses depend heavily on reliable mobile communication services. By advancing a harmonized regional roaming framework, the EAC is addressing one of the practical barriers that continue to affect movement, trade and socio-economic interaction within the Community,” Ariik maintained.

The study, undertaken by the EAC Secretariat with support from the World Bank under the Eastern African Regional Digital Integration Project, assessed policy, legal, regulatory, commercial and technical dimensions affecting regional roaming across Partner States.

The study identified several challenges affecting the implementation of regional roaming initiatives, including inconsistencies in regulatory and commercial practices, high interconnection and transit costs, tax disparities, fraud risks, inconsistent quality of service and limited consumer awareness.

Current framework remains largely voice-centric and does not adequately address growing demand for affordable data services required to support e-commerce, digital payments, online services and broader digital integration across the region.

To address these challenges, the draft Regional Mobile Roaming Framework proposes harmonized measures aimed at strengthening consumer protection, establishing cost-based tariffs, enhancing enforcement and compliance mechanisms, improving quality of service and supporting sustainable implementation of roaming services within the EAC.

During the week-long engagements, delegates will undertake technical review and validation of the study report and draft framework, participate in targeted capacity-building sessions and hold high-level policy deliberations among Heads of Communications Regulatory Authorities.

The outcomes of the meetings will inform subsequent policy processes within the Community, including submission of the draft framework to the Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology for consideration and adoption.