When Namibians talk about telecommunications—be it expensive data bundles, patchy rural coverage, or dropped calls—the focus often turns to the visible issues: prices, customer service, and limited choices. But beneath these frustrations lies a less-visible, highly technical issue that could unlock a better telecom experience for all: infrastructure sharing.
For many, this may sound like industry jargon. But make no mistake—infrastructure sharing regulations, if implemented and enforced properly, could dramatically transform Namibia’s telecom landscape for the better. More importantly, it would finally begin to address the persistent inequality faced by consumers in accessing affordable, reliable, and high-quality digital services.
What Is Infrastructure Sharing?
In simple terms, infrastructure sharing is about requiring dominant telecommunications companies to let other operators use parts of their physical networks—from towers and ducts to base stations and antennas. Think of it like multiple bus companies using the same bus stop or several grocery stores sharing a delivery truck.
There are two main types:
Passive sharing: The physical things—like towers, fibre ducts, or power systems.
Active sharing: The more sensitive stuff—like antennas, spectrum, and the electronics that drive mobile coverage.
Namibia’s Infrastructure Sharing Regulations, passed in 2016 under the Communications Act of 2009, mandate that dominant players like MTC and Telecom Namibia must open up their infrastructure to competitors. These rules require that requests for access must be responded to within 30 days, negotiations must conclude in 60 days, and all terms must be fair and non-discriminatory.
On paper, this sounds like a win for consumers and competitors alike.
Where Things Stand in Namibia
Unfortunately, implementation has fallen far short of intention.
While some progress has been made in passive sharing—such as tower co-location—the critical issue of active sharingremains largely ignored or resisted. For example, MTC has resisted several directives by the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) to share infrastructure, citing “quality concerns” and “capacity constraints.” This resistance is not only unfortunate; it is harmful to consumers.
Let us be clear: when dominant telecom operators refuse to share infrastructure, they lock out competition. And when competition is locked out, prices remain high, quality stagnates, and rural areas are neglected.
Namibia already has some of the highest mobile data prices in Southern Africa.
The Cost of Limited Competition: How Namibia Compares
The impact of this resistance to infrastructure sharing is reflected in Namibia's mobile data pricing. Recent data reveals that Namibian consumers pay significantly more for mobile data than their regional counterparts:
- Namibia charges consumers an average of $1.20 per gigabyte, according to 2023 data
- This places Namibia among the most expensive countries in Southern Africa for mobile data
- By comparison, regional neighbors charge considerably less: Zimbabwe ($1.30), Zambia ($1.45), and Lesotho ($4.09 for some studies, though other data suggests much lower rates)
- South Africa, despite its larger economy, charges consumers an average of $2.06 per gigabyte
- The regional average across Southern Africa is approximately $1.46 per gigabyte
These pricing disparities are not coincidental—they reflect market structures where limited competition allows dominant players to maintain high prices. Countries with more competitive markets and effective infrastructure sharing policies consistently deliver lower prices to consumers.
Rural and peri-urban communities are left behind, and new entrants cannot afford to build redundant infrastructure alongside giants who already dominate the space.
How Other Countries Are Getting It Right
Namibia is not the only country trying to improve digital access and telecom affordability. But unlike some of our peers, we are falling behind.
In Kenya, both passive and active infrastructure sharing are strictly enforced. Operators share base stations and even radio access networks, and the result has been a dramatic reduction in data prices and significant rural 4G coverage.
In Tanzania, the government operates a National ICT Backbone that all telecoms must use—promoting fair access and avoiding wasteful duplication. This has enabled wide coverage and competitive pricing.
Even South Africa, despite some legal hiccups, mandates passive sharing and is pushing toward more inclusive wholesale access.
These countries recognise what we in Namibia must not ignore: telecom infrastructure is not just a commercial asset; it is a public good.
The Consumer’s Perspective
From a consumer protection standpoint, the issue is crystal clear. If infrastructure sharing can lower entry costs for new telecoms, it increases competition. If competition increases, prices fall and services improve. And if those services reach beyond the cities, we close the digital divide that continues to hold back our rural communities.
This is not just a regulatory concern—it is a matter of economic justice.
For over a decade, I have advocated for stronger consumer protections in the telecom space: local number portability, transparent billing, and fair contracts. Infrastructure sharing fits squarely into this advocacy. It is a structural fix to a systemic imbalance.
We cannot keep allowing two or three companies to control the means of digital access for an entire nation.
What Needs to Happen
It is time for CRAN to enforce existing regulations more aggressively, including imposing penalties for non-compliance. The Namibia Competition Commission must also investigate the anti-competitive implications of refusal to share critical infrastructure.
Parliament, too, should take an interest—particularly as the country prepares for broader digital transformation under Vision 2030 and the Harambee Prosperity Plan II.
Finally, we need greater public awareness. Consumers should demand to know why data costs remain high and rural areas remain underserved, and they must understand that infrastructure sharing is part of the solution.
A Call for Transparency and Fairness
Namibia deserves a telecom environment where affordability, choice, and quality are the norm—not the exception. Infrastructure sharing is not just about cables and towers—it’s about fairness, access, and dignity in the digital age.
Let us hold our telecom providers, regulators, and policymakers accountable—not just for service, but for sharing the very foundations of that service.
