The Democratic Republic of Congo accuses MTN of illegal operations
On today's Techpoint Digest, we look at DRC accusing MTN of illegal operations, Gebeya's AI gaining 80K users in four months, and Terra raising $22M after securing $11.75M.
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Sveiki,<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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DRC accuses MTN of illegal operations<br />
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Gebeya’s AI hits 80K users in four months<br />
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Terra lands $22M after raising $11.75M<br />
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DRC accuses MTN of illegal operations<br />
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MTN is Nigeria’s leading telecommunication provider<br />
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The Democratic Republic of Congo has picked a fight with one of Africa’s biggest telecom giants. The country’s regulator, Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications du Congo (ARPTC), has accused MTN Group of illegally providing mobile and internet services inside the DRC without a licence, including in rebel-held areas like Goma and Rutshuru.<br />
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In a strongly worded statement, the regulator said it has “well-documented” evidence and has referred the matter to unnamed national and international bodies. It warned that the alleged unauthorised operations violate Congolese law and could expose the company to prosecution. The statement followed a meeting convened by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, who reportedly addressed what she described as digital intrusions and the unlawful use of Congolese frequencies by a foreign operator.<br />
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MTN, however, is pushing back. The South Africa-based telco says it does not operate a mobile network in the DRC and respects the country’s sovereignty. In a statement to Connecting Africa, MTN said it continues to engage stakeholders through the appropriate channels but firmly denied running services in the country.<br />
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So what’s really going on? One likely explanation is cross-border signal spillover. MTN operates in several countries bordering the DRC, including Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, South Sudan, and the Republic of Congo. Radio waves don’t stop neatly at national borders, and signals from neighbouring networks can bleed into frontier towns. According to the International Telecommunication Union, this kind of frequency overlap is a common global challenge.<br />
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Still, spillover can create messy realities on the ground. Residents...
