Namibia is preparing to expand its regional roaming agreements to include Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola, aiming to harmonise roaming fees and enhance connectivity along the country’s borders.
This comes after the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) said Namibians travelling to Botswana benefit from a significant reduction in roaming charges, with cuts of over 60% implemented in August 2024.
“I am happy to inform you I have engaged my counterparts from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola to sign collaboration agreements that will include the harmonisation of roaming fees. This will significantly improve the lives of our people living along the borders of the country through improved and affordable access to connectivity,” said Emma Theofelus, Minister of Information and Communication Technology.
The reduced roaming charges between Namibia and Botswana were officially announced in September 2024, with new tariffs introduced to enhance cross-border communication and strengthen bilateral ties.
The extended agreements with Zimbabwe, Zambia and Angola are expected to further promote regional integration and economic activities by providing affordable and seamless communication for citizens and businesses.
“This collaboration is a testament to our efforts to deliver affordable communication services to all Namibians, which will ultimately have a positive snowball effect on other sectors such as trade, tourism and general cross-border connectivity,” noted Theofelus.
Last year, MICT Executive Director Audrin Mathe said the new rates will lower costs for calls, SMS and data, with reductions reaching up to 94% for data and 89% for calls.
“The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) and Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) have officially directed the two countries’ Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) namely, Telecom Namibia (TN Mobile) and Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) and Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTC), Mascom Wireless Botswana (Mascom) and Orange Botswana (Orange) to slash roaming prices,” he said.
The adjustment, implemented by mobile operators MTC, TN Mobile, BTC, Mascom and Orange, aims to make cross-border communication more affordable.
“This bold step forward in reducing roaming costs marks a new chapter in the digital transformation efforts of both Namibia and Botswana. By making communication more affordable, the two countries are not only strengthening bilateral relations but also fostering greater economic opportunities, especially for businesses and travellers,” said the ED.
Mathe noted that this initiative is a testament to the MICT’s commitment to delivering affordable communication services to all Namibians and it will have a positive impact on trade, tourism and cross-border connectivity.
“The reduced roaming charges are part of a broader push to harmonise mobile communication costs across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. As Namibia and Botswana take the lead, MICT anticipates that this initiative will pave the way for more regional agreements aimed at cutting mobile costs throughout the SADC region,” he noted then.
