DR Congo gives telcos 30 days to fix service disruptions
On Techpoint Digest, we discuss DR Congo giving telcos 30 days to fix service disruptions, Elon Musk's Internet hits a wall at home, and Terra bets big on African security with a fresh $11.75 million.
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Hola,<br />
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Victoria from Techpoint here,<br />
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Here’s what I’ve got for you today:<br />
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DR Congo gives telcos 30 days to fix service disruptions<br />
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Elon Musk’s Internet hits a wall at home<br />
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Terra bets big on African security with fresh $11.75M<br />
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DR Congo gives telcos 30 days to fix service disruptions<br />
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The Democratic Republic (DR) of the Congo’s telecom operators are on notice. President Félix Tshisekedi has ordered regulators to crack down on mobile and Internet service failures, warning that companies that fail to meet quality standards could face sanctions if things don’t improve within 30 days.<br />
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At a Council of Ministers meeting last Friday, January 9, Tshisekedi directed sector authorities to tighten regulation, monitoring, and enforcement across the telecoms industry. He wants penalties applied “without weakness or complacency” where operators fall short on service quality, coverage, continuity, or consumer protection. A detailed progress report is now expected within a month.<br />
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This matters because the disruptions go far beyond dropped calls. Per the government, unreliable mobile networks, Internet outages, failed data services, and shaky broadcast signals are hurting daily life, banking transactions, digital public services, and the wider economy. In a country pushing digital tools for governance and commerce, weak connectivity has become a serious bottleneck.<br />
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The warning follows growing public frustration. Last December, the telecoms minister publicly challenged Orange, Airtel, and Vodacom over complaints ranging from unstable networks and slow Internet to failed mobile money transactions that were still billed. These issues aren’t new, but the presidency stepping in raises the stakes significantly.<br />
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DR Congo isn’t alone in this tougher stance. In 2025, Chad’s regulator issued similar warnings to local operators over patchy service quality, while in Zambia, the ICT authority has also been on the operators’ necks, reminding telcos to deliver reliable coverage. For C...
