Senegal’s telecom authority ARTP has inflicted fines totalling XOF 20.284 billion (around EUR 31 million) on mobile network operators Sonatel (Orange), Saga Africa Holdings (Free) and Sudatel subsidiary Expresso. The decision follows an assessment of quality of service (QoS) for voice, data and messaging, carried out between mid-August and mid-November. This latest QoS campaign was undertaken by an independent third party, Prisma, and aimed to verify operators’ compliance with coverage obligations across their 2G, 3G and 4G networks.
Based on the findings of the report, the regulator concluded that all three operators fell short of meeting the required QoS standards, despite giving them formal warnings over their failings in 2020. As a result, Sonatel has received a fine of XOF 16.728 billion, while Saga Africa Holdings and Expresso have been asked to pay XOF 2.528 billion and XOF 1.028 billion respectively.
