Senegal, Togo and Benin launch free roaming initiative
Date: 2026-04-27
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes du Sénégal (ARTP),
in collaboration with the ARCEP Togo and the ARCEP Benin, has officially
launched a free roaming arrangement between Senegal, Togo and Benin.
The
initiative, which took effect on 24 April 2026 in Lomé, is implemented in line
with the ECOWAS regulation C/REG.21/12/17 adopted in December 2017, aimed at
promoting regional integration and reducing the cost of communication across
member states.
Under
the new framework, mobile users travelling within the three countries will
benefit from free incoming calls for up to 30 consecutive days of stay.
Outgoing voice calls and SMS will be charged at local rates of the visited
country, while mobile data services will be offered at preferential tariffs
agreed upon by the participating countries. The arrangement also eliminates
surcharges on incoming international traffic.
The
agreements were signed by Dahirou Thiam and his counterparts from Togo and
Benin, in the presence of Senegalese diplomatic representatives in Lomé.
Officials
said the initiative represents a significant step toward strengthening digital
integration within the Economic Community of West African States. They added
that it lays the groundwork for further collaboration in areas such as
over-the-top service regulation, co-regulation frameworks, satellite
technologies and efforts to combat telecommunications fraud.
The
rollout of free roaming is expected to improve connectivity, enhance user
experience and support economic activity across the three countries by making
cross-border communication more accessible and affordable.
