The Director General of the ART has initiated consultations with operators, carriers and providers of electronic communication services. The aim was to encourage them to take specific measures in the context of the fight against Covid19 , according to the communiqué published to this effect on Monday 30 March 2020.

These measures include :

- Enabling the population to have information on the fight against Covi19 through electronic communications

- Ensuring permanence and continuity of service

- Ensure that the service is restored quickly in the event of a network fault.

- Ensuring good quality of service and national coverage

- Ensure that emergency and public utility numbers, particularly 1510, 113, 117, 118 and 119, are operational at all times.

- Ensuring that emergency and public utility calls are free of charge for users

- Facilitating access to electronic communication services, in particular through the use of low-cost mobile financial services and the Internet.

In addition to these measures, the players in the electronic communications sector were invited to apply the measures recommended by the African Telecommunications Union, namely :

- Implement priority routing of calls on fixed and mobile networks in order to stem the difficulties associated with the overloading of the telephone network.

- Dedicate a certain network capacity for its free provision to the authorities responsible for measures to prevent and combat Covid19

- Ensuring compliance with the regulatory provisions in emergency situations, which are contained in particular in the specifications annexed to the concession agreements of operators of electronic communications networks open to the public.

- Ensure that redundant infrastructure is in place to ensure continuity of service

Finally, the communiqué insists on the fact that "the actors of the electronic communications sector are obliged to ensure multipartite collaboration with government institutions and private sector actors engaged in the fight against Covid19 , through the accompaniment of the National Operational Plan for Preparation and Response to Covid19 , within the framework of the implementation of the instructions of the Prime Minister, Head of Government".

Source: www.digitalbusiness.africa