21 May 2019

The Telecommunications/ ICT Regulatory Authority of Côte d’Ivoire (ARTCI) has issued a stark warning to the country’s mobile operators to stop passing the additional cost of mobile money transactions onto the end user.

In a statement, the regulator accused operators of ignoring the law on telecommunications and telecommunications technologies, which requires them to communicate the tariffs and T&Cs of the service offered, one month before making them public.

“The new rates on mobile money transfer services have not been subject to prior notification to the ARTCI,” the regulator said. “Therefore, ARTCI requires all mobile operators to immediately stop their application.”

Operators in Côte d’Ivoire have increased the rate charged for mobile money transfers to 7.2 per cent, which they argue is in line with a government increase in mobile money tax.

The warning from ARTCI followed complaints from consumer association Confederation des Consommateurs de Cote d’Ivoire, which was angered by taxes on mobile money transactions in the country and demanded the complete removal of the levies.

In a statement to the media, the federation, which represents 10 different consumer groups across the west African nation, stated that less than a fifth of consumers in the country have access to bank accounts.

It noted that the traditionally low cost of transactions using mobile money services had led to a “dynamic” industry, but the increase in government levies made it “more expensive for consumers to use an accessible service that has started to enter our habits”.

ARTCI was created through the merger of the Telecommunications Council of Côte d’Ivoire (SITC) and the Telecommunications Agency of the Côte d’Ivoire (ATCI).