The telecommunication and posts regulatory authority (ARPT) of the Republic of Guinea has entered into a partnership with Global Voice Group (GVG) to deploy a mobile and digital ecosystem regulation platform in the country.

Signed in Conakry on 1 April 2021 by the respective directors, Yacouba Cissé and James Gabriel Claude, the partnership will facilitate the installation of the digital platform beginning 1 June 2021.

The project, described as the most ambitious undertaking related to digitisation of the country’s regulatory tools, encompasses major aspects such as the regulatory management of mobile and digital identities, interconnectivity, data services and mobile money.

According to the contract, GVG will be responsible for the deployment of the platform, as well as for the related technical operations, over a five-year period at the end of which the company will transfer the platform's ownership to the ARPT.

The partners claim the need for regulatory technology in Africa has continued to grow and there is an increase in the number of countries implementing solutions to help regulatory bodies efficiently conduct their oversight mandate.

“Similar solutions are already in place in countries such as Rwanda, where the Rwanda Utility Regulatory Agency (RURA) has the International Gateway Traffic Verification System (IGTVS) in place, and Tanzania, which has a Telecom Traffic Monitoring System. The system in Guinea will follow a similar application,” reads an excerpt from the statement.

The general purpose of the platform is ambitious: promote and sustain trust and inclusiveness in the mobile and digital ecosystem, for the benefit and fulfilment of all Guineans. To achieve this, the platform implements data-driven regulatory technologies that will guarantee regulatory compliance in this ecosystem, as well as the alignment of the latter with the State's digital development and inclusion guidelines.

GVG CEO James Claude said: "We enjoy a privileged relationship with Guinea, which was one of the first African nations to deploy our former platforms, ten years ago. We recognise ourselves in the visionary spirit of its leaders, especially those of the ARPT. Our visions truly are in alignment with one another. We are convinced that we can bring tangible answers to the regulator's new requirements in the current and future Guinean telecom environment through our new technologies, which have significantly evolved over time."

ARPT's Director General Yacouba Cissé, highlighted the advent of a digital approach to regulation. According to him, there exists a firm consensus in the African regulatory domain as regards the digitisation of regulatory tools. "The ARPT proved to be a pioneer in this area", he recalled, "by digitising the national and international interconnections as soon as 2009. The new digital tools we are implementing go much further. They cover all aspects of the mobile and digital ecosystem that are likely to affect the Guinean subscribers, who must be protected by an effective regulatory framework."