Togo, Benin and Senegal launch free community roaming services

Telecom

Saturday, 25 April 2026 17:15

Togo, Benin and Senegal launch free community roaming services

(Togo First) - Togo, Benin and Senegal have advanced regional digital integration by launching free roaming services on Friday, April 24, 2026, in Lomé.

The launch marks the implementation of two bilateral agreements — one between Togo and Senegal, the other between Senegal and Benin — signed on the sidelines of ARTAO’s 23rd annual general assembly.

Signed in December 2025 in Dakar, the agreements were outlined by Amah Vinyo Capo, director of markets and data-driven regulation at ARCEP Togo, during the ceremony. They represent a first for the region: two separate agreements aligned on identical terms, reflecting a gradual push toward harmonization within the Association of Telecommunications Regulators of West Africa (ARTAO).

“Today, we are taking a new step by removing another barrier to digital mobility and strengthening regional integration. In the digital age, electronic communications have become essential. They connect people and support economies, but one obstacle remained: the high cost of mobile roaming. That obstacle is now removed. Thanks to free roaming between Togo and Senegal and between Senegal and Benin, citizens traveling between these countries will be able to communicate as if they were in their home country,” said Michel Yaovi Galley, director general of ARCEP Togo.

The objective is to reduce roaming charges for consumers traveling across borders. The agreements regulate international and local call rates, as well as mobile data, with caps designed to prevent excessive charges.

Beyond pricing, the agreements are part of a broader effort to harmonize roaming policies across the region. With this deal now in effect with Senegal, Togo brings the number of countries with which it has free roaming partnerships to seven, six of which are already operational.

Expected impact on consumers

For consumer organizations, the agreements address long-standing difficulties faced by users when traveling across borders.

“Consumers expect the commitments made to be effectively enforced by operators,” said Emmanuel Sogadzi, president of the Ligue des Consommateurs du Togo (LCT).

Regulators also stressed the significance of the agreements. For Edouard Loko, executive secretary of Benin’s Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et de la Poste (ARCEP Bénin), the priority is to ensure cross-border access to communications and service continuity for mobile users.

Dahirou Thiam, director general of Senegal’s Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes, echoed that view. Present at the launch ceremony in Lomé, he highlighted the expected benefits of free roaming, particularly the reduction in roaming costs.

The initiative reflects a broader push toward regional telecom market integration, through improved service continuity and lower costs for users.

S.A

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