Currently, regional roaming tariffs are notoriously high, according to the study by 2010 Association of Southern African Communicators, which shows that customers in certain countries in the SADC, in particular island members, were able to pay up to 200 times for data roaming at the cost of household charges.
To address this situation, the Southern African Communicators 'Regulators Association, a SADC-mandated body that groups telecommunications regulators in fifteen regional states, was mandated to implement the reduction to 2018, according to the 2008 ministers' resolution.
Voice roaming customers in the region were being forced to pay 10 times home charges as they crossed borders, the study said. The movement is expected to bring relief to consumers who, in certain countries in the region, pay up to 200% above the cost of production, particularly for data, as they cross borders.
Mobile operators have resisted efforts by SADC, through the Southern African Communicators Regulators Association, to reduce roaming fees, claiming that several "special costs" go into "Roaming" as opposed to domestic service.
Critics accused operators of deliberately complicating the cost and technical aspects of roaming in order to enrich and make exorbitant charges without scrutiny.
The head of electronic communication of the Association of Regulators, Bridget Linzie assured that the organization has asked regional ministers for more time to implement the tariff resolution. He also went on to say that the delay is necessary to produce a harmonized cost model for "Roaming", which guided national regulators on the limits to apply to mobile operators.
Ten bidders are running to develop the template, which is expected to be completed this year. Bridget Linzie noted that since the 2008 resolution, operators in eight SADC countries, including Botswana, have already reduced their roaming costs by 33%.
The Association has been pressing its peers, as well as market regulators, to force other operators to lower their charges. Ministers from the Southern African Development Community believe that affordable and competitive mobile roaming tariffs will contribute to regional integration.
