By Rejoice Amutenya
For many Namibians, N$10 worth of airtime is not “just N$10”.
It is part of tomorrow’s taxi fare. It is bread. It is electricity. It is airtime needed to receive a call from a potential employer. It is the difference between being able to send a document and having to wait until someone can share their hotspot.
That reality should matter when we talk about telecommunications and consumer protection.
Namibia is pursuing an ambitious digital future. The Sixth National Development Plan (NDP) identifies digital infrastructure and universal connectivity as key enablers of inclusive economic growth and sets a target of increasing internet penetration to 90% by 2030.
The Communications Act, under which the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) regulates the sector, also exists within a framework that promotes affordable access, fair competition and consumer protection.
But there is another side to this ambition that deserves equal attention. What does it cost ordinary people to remain connected?
The latest official labour-force figures paint a difficult picture. Namibia’s 2023 Population and Housing Census recorded an unemployment rate of 36.9%. Beyond unemployment, many of those fortunate enough to have jobs are hardly living with substantial disposable income, with FNB Namibia market analysis reporting that 55.4% of employed Namibians earn less than N$5,000 per month, leaving many households with little room for unexpected expenses.
In this context, the unexpected loss or depletion of even N$10 or N$20 worth of airtime can have very different consequences depending on who bears it and can deepen an already complex digital divide.
A person may live within reach of a mobile network and own a smartphone, yet still be effectively excluded if staying connected is unaffordable or if the airtime they carefully budget for is consumed in ways they did not reasonably anticipate.
Expanding infrastructure is therefore only one part of digital inclusion. Affordability, predictable costs, appropriate devices, digital skills and the ability to remain connected all determine whether network coverage translates into meaningful participation.
The same N$60 worth of airtime can mean very different things to different consumers. Someone earning N$40,000 a month may barely notice losing N$60 of airtime unexpectedly.
For someone earning N$3,500, or an unemployed person surviving on irregular income, that N$60 airtime purchase may have been deliberately budgeted to last several days or to cover a specific need. Those with the least financial flexibility are often also the consumers most dependent on prepaid airtime, small data bundles and careful day-to-day budgeting.
Mobile connectivity is now embedded in everyday economic and social participation. People use it to apply for jobs, access education, manage money, run small businesses and obtain public information. As more services move online, airtime and mobile data increasingly form part of what people must budget for simply to participate in modern life.
This is why consumer protection should not be reduced to telling people to read terms and conditions, monitor their balances or complain after something goes wrong. Consumers have a responsibility to use services carefully, but the burden cannot rest entirely on them.
Consumers should be able to understand when and how their airtime will be used, especially where data or other services may begin drawing from an airtime balance. Material information should be communicated clearly; consumers should have meaningful control over their spending and disputed airtime deductions should be explained in a way an ordinary person can follow.
The argument is not that telecommunications companies should not make profits. They are businesses that invest in networks, employ people and require sustainable commercial models. The question is whether commercial success can coexist with stronger safeguards for consumers who have little room in their budgets for airtime disappearing unexpectedly or being consumed without sufficient clarity. It can, and it should.
As Namibia works towards the connectivity ambitions of NDP6 and its wider digital transformation agenda, greater attention must be paid to what consumers actually spend to remain connected and how much control they have over their airtime and data expenditure. This is attainable. Our neighbouring South Africa has already introduced consumer-protection measures that include timely usage depletion notifications and specific consumer consent before out-of-bundle data charges can be incurred.
Namibia does not have to choose between a sustainable telecommunications sector and stronger consumer protection. We can pursue both. For thousands of Namibians stretching limited income across essential expenses, N$50 or N$80 worth of airtime is money that already had a purpose.
Our telecommunications and regulatory frameworks should recognise that reality and ensure that staying connected does not come at an unnecessary cost to those who can least afford it.
Rejoice Amutenya is a technology and digital policy practitioner with a particular interest in telecommunications regulation, consumer protection and inclusive digital development.
