According to Liberationthe Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARTP) has sent a formal notice to Saga Africa Holdings Limited, the company which operates the Yas network (formerly Free). This telephone operator faces accusations of serious malfunctions, likely to result in a substantial fine.
In an official letter addressed to Kamal Okba, Managing Director of Saga Africa Holdings Limited, Dahirou Thiam, Managing Director of ARTP, recalled the obligations of telecommunications operators, under the provisions of Article 21 of Law No. °2018-28 of December 12, 2018 relating to the Electronic Communications Code. According to this article, any operator is required to publish, without delay, forecasts of service interruptions, in particular for reasons of installation, repair or change of equipment. Liberation also underlines that, in accordance with Article 8.1 of the specifications, the networks and services must operate continuously, 24 hours a day, including weekends and public holidays.
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Always according to Liberationthe ARTP accuses Saga Africa Holdings Limited of serious breaches of these obligations. The operator is notably criticized for not having informed the ARTP within the regulatory deadlines after a technical incident which disrupted the network. Dahirou Thiam emphasized in his letter that, although the incident occurred on December 12, 2024, the first information was only transmitted by email to the ARTP on December 14, 2024 at 3:28 p.m. In addition, Saga Africa Holdings Limited has not published a press release intended for users in impacted areas, contrary to regulatory requirements.
Liberation also reports that ARTP decision no. 2021-002 imposes several obligations on mobile telephone operators in the event of a significant incident, in particular:
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- Inform the ARTP within two hours of the incident;
- Submit a detailed report within seven working days following the incident, explaining its causes and the measures taken to avoid its recurrence;
- Publish a press release providing explanations to users in affected areas.
Despite the rigor of these requirements, Liberation notes that Saga Africa Holdings Limited has failed to fulfill these obligations. Dahirou Thiam thus concluded his letter by sending a formal notice to the operator. “We put you on notice, without delay, to take all necessary measures for a return to normal quality of service and to ensure that such failures do not occur again. Failing this, the ARTP will be obliged to apply, in all its rigor, the sanctions provided for by the regulations in force,” he warned.
This warning marks a turning point in the management of dysfunctions observed on the Yas network. According to Liberationthe ARTP remains firm in respecting quality of service standards by all operators, in the interest of citizens and the continuity of essential services.
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