Five Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states have agreed to reduce and harmonise roaming charges, marking a significant step toward regional digital integration.
Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are among the countries that will take part.
Mobile operators involved are Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, Mascom, Orange Botswana, Airtel, Econet, MTN, Vodacom, and others.
Regarding the roaming charge reductions, price reductions now range from 10% to 98.6% for data, voice, and SMS services.
This initiative is part of the One Network Area (ONA) framework introduced in August 2023.
The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority spearheaded this initiative, emphasising affordability and regional integration.
Botswana and Namibia were the first SADC members to implement reduced roaming rates in 2024.
The recent agreements fulfill commitments made by Botswana’s minister of communications and innovation, David Tshere, during the SADC ICT ministers meeting in February 2025.
The ONA framework aims to promote trade, investment, mobility, and digital inclusion within the SADC region.
It highlights the importance of reducing data prices to facilitate digital transformation.
This collaboration represents a significant advance in making telecommunications more accessible across Southern Africa, benefiting over 417 million people in the SADC region.
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