The Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) has said Botswana and five other SADC Member States have collaborated to substantially reduce and harmonise mobile roaming tariffs in line with the One Network Area (ONA) framework. The participating Member States drew inspiration from Botswana and Namibia which were the first within SADC to successfully implement reduced and harmonised roaming rates in August 2024.
Botswana implemented the ONA framework jointly with Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The ONA initiative is aligned to efforts by SADC Member States to reduce and harmonise roaming charges across the region and it is intended to progressively expand to include other SADC Member States.
The initiative places emphasis on reduction of data prices given the vital role played by data services in the digital transformation of any economy.
The ONA initiative fulfills the commitment made by the Minister of Communications and Innovation, Honourable David Tshere during the meeting of the SADC Ministers responsible for ICT, which was held in Harare, Zimbabwe in February 2025. Honourable Tshere assured his SADC counterparts of Botswana’s intention to replicate the Namibia/Botswana roaming arrangements to other SADC Member States in order to promote a single digital market for the region.
Recognising the critical role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in promoting trade, investment, mobility and digital inclusion, ONA seeks to harmonise roaming tariffs to ensure cost-reflective pricing and create a seamless communications environment across participating countries.
The initiative places emphasis on reduction of data prices given the vital role played by data services in the digital transformation of any economy.
The reductions reinforce Botswana’s commitment to affordability and deeper regional integration. The initiative has also facilitated conclusion of new bilateral roaming agreements among operators, which hitherto did not exist.
