MTN Rwanda will pay a fine of tens of millions of Rwandan francs for the service disruptions for which the telco was summoned by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) earlier this week, The New Times has learnt. For such disruptions, article 269 of the ICT Law stipulates an administrative fine of between Rwf 500,000 and Rwf 15,000,000 for each day during which the non-compliance occurred. Since the network interruptions took place for two days (between July 27 and 28), the regulator will impose a fine worth Rwf 15,000,000 for each of the days, making it Rwf 30,000,000 altogether, an official at RURA told The New Times on Thursday afternoon. MTN’s leadership was summoned by RURA on Monday, July 28, to address “persistent and recurring issues in its service delivery,” including disruptions in voice calls, SMS, USSD (used to access mobile money services), and interconnectivity between service providers. In a follow-up statement on Thursday, July 31, the regulator said MTN Rwanda turned up for the meeting and provided explanations regarding the challenges affecting its services. RURA officials issued a warning and instructed the company to urgently resolve the issues. ALSO READ: Rwanda needs over 800 cell towers to increase internet access The regulator further noted that an administrative fine was imposed on the telco in accordance with the ICT law. The ICT’s Article 15 empowers RURA to monitor licensed operators and impose administrative sanctions. The article also emphasizes adherence to the principles of the service providers’ right to defence, transparency, impartiality, and non-discrimination in the enforcement process.
