Information minister scrutinizes MTN over high tariffs as data costs slow digitalization

JUBA — South Sudan’s newly appointed information minister, Ateny Wek Ateny, has demanded a technical explanation from MTN South Sudan over what he described as unreasonably high and steadily rising tariffs, as expensive internet and data services continue to slow the country’s digitalization efforts.

Ateny said escalating communication costs are placing a growing burden on citizens and limiting access to digital services that underpin mobile money, e-government platforms and other elements of digital public infrastructure.

“The Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, Ateny Wek Ateny, has requested MTN to provide a technical explanation for why their tariffs are too high,” partly reads a statement on the ICT official page.

The minister made the remarks on Wednesday while meeting friends, relatives and telecommunications executives who visited his office to congratulate him on his appointment.

In a separate engagement with MTN’s chief executive and the Huawei country representative, Ateny said he would soon convene a formal technical meeting with the operator to examine the reasons behind recent tariff increases.

“The Ministry will sit with MTN soon to have more technical discussion around the issue of the tariff to find a way on how MTN could bring down these charges,” Ateny noted.

He said internet and data services in South Sudan remain among the most expensive in the region, restricting access to communication tools and digital platforms in a country where many public and financial services are increasingly expected to move online.

Ateny said reducing the cost of communication would be a key priority as he sets the policy direction for the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, signalling affordability as a prerequisite for digital transformation.

By comparison, a one-minute call in Kenya costs about 4.87 Kenyan shillings (around $0.037), while in Uganda it costs roughly 240 Ugandan shillings (about $0.065). In South Sudan, however, mobile data prices remain significantly higher.

Market estimates show that one gigabyte of data in South Sudan now costs about $7.00, compared with roughly $0.84 in Kenya, underscoring a sharp regional disparity.

The price gap has fuelled public anger, with many South Sudanese saying communication — once taken for granted — is increasingly becoming a luxury rather than a basic utility.

The frequently cited figure of “0.4 cents per minute” for South Sudanese calls appears to originate from a government statement issued during a previous tariff review period. External monitoring and consumer experience, however, have repeatedly contradicted the claim, showing that real-world costs are much higher.

In 2024, telecom operators in South Sudan implemented a three-phase increase in voice and data tariffs following official exchange-rate adjustments, a move operators said was necessary to manage foreign-currency pressures.

Since those increases, users and media outlets have argued that South Sudan’s call and data costs are among the highest in East Africa, a trend analysts warn could undermine national ambitions to expand digital public goods, including digital identification systems, mobile money platforms and online government services.