Telecom operator MTN Group finds itself at the center of a regulatory dispute in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), underscoring the broader challenges Africa faces in managing cross-border radio frequencies. On February 11, the DRC’s Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPTC) accused MTN of illegally providing mobile and internet services in the cities of Goma and Rutshuru, near the Rwandan border. The regulator cited potential breaches of national laws and risks to the country’s digital sovereignty, signaling a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized network operations.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka convened a meeting on February 10 to address what officials described as “digital intrusion” by a foreign operator. The session brought together the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, ARPTC executives, and representatives from Airtel, Orange, and Vodacom. Following the meeting, ARPTC was tasked with handling the technical and legal aspects of the case while notifying relevant international authorities. MTN, which operates across multiple African countries including Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and South Sudan, has not yet publicly responded.
At the heart of the dispute is a technical and regulatory challenge inherent in telecommunications: radio signals do not respect political boundaries. Telecom operators deploy networks using spectrum allocated by national regulators, but in border regions, signals can “spill over” into neighboring territories. While consumers in these areas may benefit from seamless connectivity, regulators worry about revenue loss, unfair competition, and compromised digital sovereignty.
This is not a new phenomenon. In the early 2000s, Chad accused Cameroonian operators, including MTN and Orange, of flooding N’Djamena with low-cost SIM cards and undermining local operators. The dispute persisted for years until a cross-border coordination agreement was signed in 2009 under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), illustrating the complexity of managing spectrum across borders.
Across Africa, governments and regulators are increasingly prioritizing frequency coordination. In January 2022, 54 African countries signed a continent-wide agreement under the ITU framework to prevent harmful interference in fixed and mobile terrestrial services. The framework promotes bilateral and multilateral arrangements to harmonize spectrum use, particularly in border zones.
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Recent bilateral initiatives reflect this trend. In August 2025, DRC and Angola established coordination parameters for seven frequency bands between 700 MHz and 3,500 MHz along their shared border. Measures included limiting signal coverage to 1,000 meters beyond borders, banning omnidirectional antennas in border zones, and dismantling unauthorized sales points. Similar agreements have been adopted between Gabon and Cameroon, and discussions are ongoing between DRC and Cameroon, and other neighboring countries. In West Africa, the Alliance of Sahel States signed a border frequency coordination accord in November 2025 to prevent interference within a 15-kilometer zone on either side of national borders.
Experts note that the MTN case highlights the delicate balance African regulators must strike: enabling seamless connectivity for border populations while protecting national revenue streams, ensuring fair competition, and maintaining control over strategic spectrum resources. It also underscores the growing importance of regional coordination mechanisms to manage a shared and finite resource efficiently.
For telecom operators, such disputes signal the need for careful network planning, regulatory engagement, and cross-border collaboration. Companies that expand in border areas without coordination risk fines, reputational damage, and disruptions to service. For governments, these disputes reinforce the urgency of modernizing regulatory frameworks and investing in joint monitoring systems.
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As Africa’s mobile and internet markets continue to grow, cross-border frequency management will remain a critical issue. The MTN case in the DRC serves as a reminder that digital sovereignty, technical interoperability, and regional cooperation are no longer peripheral concerns—they are central to the continent’s telecommunications strategy and its broader digital economy ambitions.
