Senegal’s three mobile operators have reportedly agreed to lower telecoms service costs – potentially as soon as later this week – in response to the government’s call to deal with longstanding complaints from consumers on the issue.
According to a report from Ecofin Agency, Senegal’s secretary-general Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo said on Thursday that Sonatel, Free, and Expresso will introduce new and more affordable offers, particularly for consumers who purchase small data packages.
The new pricing is set to be finalized following a National Consumer Council (CNC) meeting scheduled for tomorrow, the report said.
Senegalese residents have long complained about the high cost of telecoms services in the country, especially internet connectivity services. Subscribers have also had to deal with government-imposed service outages during political unrest, the most recent incident occurring in February this year.
The Senegalese government said the telecoms tariff reductions are part of its efforts to boost citizens' purchasing power. The government has also announced price reductions for staples such as bread, granulated sugar, broken rice, and refined oil, the report said.
Senegal had 22.4 million mobile phone subscribers and 19.8 million Internet subscribers at the end of 2023. While both figures represent penetration rates above 100%, the popularity of multi-SIM usage suggests the actual individual subscriber numbers may well be lower, the report said.
