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Big dividend for citizens as cost for
calls in EAC to fall
5

Print
PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | FILE A man
inserts a SIM card into a mobile phone.
NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
The decision is in line with the ongoing
efforts to promote integration among
the four countries under the Northern
Corridor infrastructure summit referred
informally as the Coalition of the Willing
The ICT ministers from the four
countries were given six months to put
together a regulatory framework that
will enable implementation of the single
network area project
By CHARLES WOKABI
More by this Author
Citizens from four countries in eastern
Africa will now make cross-border calls at
the same rates they pay locally.
The move follows a resolution by the
heads of State of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda
and South Sudan during the fifth
Infrastructure Summit held in Nairobi on
Friday to abolish roaming charges.
During the meeting, Kenyan President
Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda, Rwandas Paul Kagame and Salva
Kiir of South Sudan said the high cost of
calling across countries in the region was
a hindrance to economic integration.
The decision is in line with the ongoing
efforts to promote integration among the
four countries under the Northern Corridor
infrastructure summit referred informally
as the Coalition of the Willing.
Information Communication and
Technology ministers from the four
countries made the recommendation
following an order from the previous
summit to come up with ways of
addressing the high calling rates in the
region.
Calling rates in East Africa have been a
bone of contention for businesses as taxes
and fees mean it is cheaper, for instance,
for a Kenyan to make a call to the UK, the
US, India, Canada or China than to East
African countries. Technology was made
part of the summits agenda in October
2013. Technocrats have been working
since then to develop a policy document
that could potentially see the countries
reduce taxes on regional calls.
In an earlier interview with the Saturday
Nation, Kenyan ICT minister Fred Matiangi
said member countries had agreed to
restructure their tax regimes.
We are committed to bring down the cost
of doing business across the region. We
agreed to transform the region into a
single network area which means we
abolish roaming charges. Calling to
Uganda or Rwanda will cost the same as
calling from Machakos to Nyeri, said Dr
Matiangi.
The ICT ministers from the four countries
were given six months to put together a
regulatory framework that will enable
implementation of the single network
area project.
The decision will be discussed by
regulators and operators during an
upcoming conference in Kigali.
As chairperson of the East African
Community committee on ICT, Dr Matiangi
was instructed to hold meetings with his
counterparts in Tanzanian and Burundi
with a view to bring the two countries on
board.
The ministerial technical teams have been
meeting since November and have
identified various measures that would
lead to lower calling rates.
We hope to reduce taxes or eliminate
them, said Dr Matiangi.
His Rwandan counterpart Jean Philbert
Nsengimana said his country was
committed to any efforts geared towards
lowering the cost of doing business.
High calling rates have been a big
problem and a major hindrance for
business growth and integration.
Lowering the rates will greatly improve
our economic prospects, said Mr
Nsengimana last month.
Under the umbrella of the East African
Community, telecommunication
regulators in the region last month
commissioned a study to provide a
framework to cut roaming charges and
spur growth.
The East African Communication
Organisation (Eaco), the agency mandated
to carry out the study, said the findings
would be released in September after
which groundwork on reduction of
roaming charges would be implemented.
calls in EAC to fall
5

PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | FILE A man
inserts a SIM card into a mobile phone.
NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
The decision is in line with the ongoing
efforts to promote integration among
the four countries under the Northern
Corridor infrastructure summit referred
informally as the Coalition of the Willing
The ICT ministers from the four
countries were given six months to put
together a regulatory framework that
will enable implementation of the single
network area project
By CHARLES WOKABI
More by this Author
Citizens from four countries in eastern
Africa will now make cross-border calls at
the same rates they pay locally.
The move follows a resolution by the
heads of State of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda
and South Sudan during the fifth
Infrastructure Summit held in Nairobi on
Friday to abolish roaming charges.
During the meeting, Kenyan President
Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda, Rwandas Paul Kagame and Salva
Kiir of South Sudan said the high cost of
calling across countries in the region was
a hindrance to economic integration.
The decision is in line with the ongoing
efforts to promote integration among the
four countries under the Northern Corridor
infrastructure summit referred informally
as the Coalition of the Willing.
Information Communication and
Technology ministers from the four
countries made the recommendation
following an order from the previous
summit to come up with ways of
addressing the high calling rates in the
region.
Calling rates in East Africa have been a
bone of contention for businesses as taxes
and fees mean it is cheaper, for instance,
for a Kenyan to make a call to the UK, the
US, India, Canada or China than to East
African countries. Technology was made
part of the summits agenda in October
2013. Technocrats have been working
since then to develop a policy document
that could potentially see the countries
reduce taxes on regional calls.
In an earlier interview with the Saturday
Nation, Kenyan ICT minister Fred Matiangi
said member countries had agreed to
restructure their tax regimes.
We are committed to bring down the cost
of doing business across the region. We
agreed to transform the region into a
single network area which means we
abolish roaming charges. Calling to
Uganda or Rwanda will cost the same as
calling from Machakos to Nyeri, said Dr
Matiangi.
The ICT ministers from the four countries
were given six months to put together a
regulatory framework that will enable
implementation of the single network
area project.
The decision will be discussed by
regulators and operators during an
upcoming conference in Kigali.
As chairperson of the East African
Community committee on ICT, Dr Matiangi
was instructed to hold meetings with his
counterparts in Tanzanian and Burundi
with a view to bring the two countries on
board.
The ministerial technical teams have been
meeting since November and have
identified various measures that would
lead to lower calling rates.
We hope to reduce taxes or eliminate
them, said Dr Matiangi.
His Rwandan counterpart Jean Philbert
Nsengimana said his country was
committed to any efforts geared towards
lowering the cost of doing business.
High calling rates have been a big
problem and a major hindrance for
business growth and integration.
Lowering the rates will greatly improve
our economic prospects, said Mr
Nsengimana last month.
Under the umbrella of the East African
Community, telecommunication
regulators in the region last month
commissioned a study to provide a
framework to cut roaming charges and
spur growth.
The East African Communication
Organisation (Eaco), the agency mandated
to carry out the study, said the findings
would be released in September after
which groundwork on reduction of
roaming charges would be implemented.
