GOVERNMENT says it will reduce international telecommunications gateway fees to regional averages by the end of 2009.
Secretary to the Treasury, Likolo Ndalamei, said this measure is expected to create significant growth potential for the telecommunications industry, improve service quality and reduce the cost of doing business.
Mr Ndalamei said this in the 2010-2012 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and 2010 budget released in Lusaka yesterday.
The World Bank and the private mobile service providers including Zain and MTN have previously said that Zambia’s international gateway fees are too high.
Zain and MTN have been urging the Government to reduce fees and liberalise the international gateway to reduce the high cost of communication and the cost of doing business in Zambia.
Zambia’s international gateway fee of US$12 million is currently the highest in the eastern and southern African region and has been cited as a barrier to reducing the cost of doing business.[quote]
International gateway fees are US$214,000 in Kenya and US$50,000 in Uganda while in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, which is settling from civil strife, the costs of an international Zain call are far much lower than in Zambia.
He further said the completion of fibre optic network infrastructure this year brings higher quality data and Internet services to the country at a lower cost.
The Government in the medium term will also work closely with the service providers to improve rural connectivity.
And Mr Ndalamei said Government is committed to the partial privatisation of Zamtel.
He said in recognising the high cost and poor quality of telecommunications infrastructure in the country, Government would partially privatise the firm.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Why are Zambia’s so expensive then?
Was it about protecting Zamtel, or just another way of raising funds for Govt. In the end Zambians have paid dearly. May be RB can cut his travels to save some US$. Less RB foreign travels, cheaper Gateway fees will lower cost of phone calls.
TI agree UK-Zed observer, we are by far paying a fortune just to make a call. An average Zambian will not spend more than 30seconds on a local mobile call because of this same gate way restrictions! Zambia is the only country in Southern Africa where making a call is a nightmare…Especially International calls! Right now people from outside are complaining of reaching Zambians through the phones! let us hurry in liberalising this Gateway business!
Will RB, Kunda, Mulongoti, Shikapwasha and FTJ accept this good news? Lets pray hard. These charps hate good and love evil. They are up to nothing.
That is reason the GATEWAY charges are reduced to give advantage to whoever will partially take over Zamtel. I normally receive mobile calls from Katanga Province and its amazing that the guys keep on line for 20-30 minutes whilst on my part its only maximum time 5 minutes. Why is that everything in Zambia is costly compared to other countries within SADC & COMESA. This ranges from electricity, fuel, mobile phone rates, food, education, health, sports, policing coupled with poor and inefficient supply of goods and services. Are we a cursed nation or we simply have consigned ourselves to such type of doing things deliberately. Mean to create choas in order for few clever chaps to benefit in the midst of confusion.
Thats good news, for some time I thought ITC would by pass our country and leave us in the stone age, further it’s good to know that ZAMET has finally connected to the SAT3 cable hooray for that ZAMTEL is also planning on doing the same plus i understand ZAMTEL is also planning a local fiber network goosh this makes me proud to be Zambian… hopefully the SEACOM cable will also find it’s way to Zed.
The irony of zambian life, expensive mobiles yet no talk time.
Very welcome development. I hope this will actually translate in to the cheaper rates, better service and create the neccessary growth.
And yet they knew we were the most expensive in the region!! Pa Zed!
This is a positive move for not only the ICT/IT sector but all of us. fro too long Zambians have been subjected to very unreasonalble tarrifs on many products even locally produced. i see a reduction in communication which will cascade to tangible products, goods and services. Thanks. Apa pena mwachitako ifya mano
Does this include allowing outbound VOIP ?. That would enable true expansion of the ICT Sector.
Bring back our ngwees you exaggerate too much. Every thing pa Zed is expensive from the time you removed out the ngwees things are bad.
Chris, it was an honor to meet you and your family and to see ya’ll as such a light for Him even after nlisog your precious Momma. . So glad you saw, felt, and experienced your Momma’s spirit and presence there in Zambia . You are so wise at such a young age so ahead of the game for most in your peer group . Continue to seek HIm and to be His hands and feet .it is a journey of a lifetime blessings, Cheryl