The East African Organisation of Communications (EACO) has confirmed plans to enforce a joint exercise or cross-border mobile frequency coordination to end forced roaming between Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda in 2018.

Forced roaming arises when there are interferences by cross-border mobile networks. When this happens, a subscriber will incur high roaming costs to access telecoms services.

Users in border areas are compelled to pay roaming charges to make calls, send text messages and access the internet.

"The forced roaming to which they were subjected to will be permanently settled," said Ally Simba, Executive Secretary, EACO.

Speaking in Nairobi at EACO's 25th meeting, Simba said the coordination effort was 90% complete and regulators are carrying out verification exercise.

"Forced roaming will disappear with the completion of the cross-border mobile frequency coordination exercise. Telecom regulators in EACO countries have affirmed the process is unfolding flawlessly," he said.

Peter Munya, Kenya's Minister for East Africa Community and Northern Corridor Development said that the region's One Area Network project has significantly reduced the cost of roaming.

The One Area Network project is a multi-country initiative organised to reduce the cost of roaming services, specifically for subscribers to access voice and data.

It currently includes Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan, while Tanzania and Burundi are set to join the initiative by the end of 2018.

When completed, all calls within the EACO trading bloc will be treated as local calls.

"This is allowing users to save a few cents thus enhancing the purchasing power of consumers," Munya said.

EACO is also carrying out cross-border frequency coordination exercise for broadcasting services; it plans to complete the implementation of cross-border framework for broadcasting before the end of 2018.