15 November 2022

The Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority of Burkina Faso (ARCEP) has issued formal notice to Orange Burkina Faso, Telecel Faso and Moov Africa Burkina Faso (ONATEL).

The regulator blames the operators for failing to comply with the quality of service obligations outlined in their specifications and urges them to comply.

The formal notice to the MNOs follows service quality control campaigns carried out from 31 March to 23 April and from 26 April to 16 May. This revealed points of non-compliance, in particular with regard to the blocking rate of calls and cuts in calls, the rate of good vocality, and the success rate of each transfer.

The decision comes as part of ARCEP’s mission to guarantee the continuous supply of quality telecom services to the population of Burkina Faso. This is becoming more and more urgent in a context marked by strong demand for telecom services and the acceleration of digital transformation. According to ARCEP statistics for the second quarter of 2022, Burkina Faso has 25.5 million mobile phone subscribers, a growth of 6.8% compared to last year.

The three operators concerned will have to remedy the shortcomings by 31 December 2022. After this time, offenders will be subject to the penalties provided for by Law No. 061-2008/AN of 27 November 2008 on the general regulation of electronic communication services in Burkina Faso.