Covid-19: ARECOM issues state of emergency guidelines for communications and internet services in Mozambique, suspends postal services licensing cancellations

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Covid-19: ARECOM issues state of emergency guidelines for communications and internet services in Mozambique, suspends postal services licensing cancellations

3:20 CAT | 21 Apr 2020

File photo: Autoridade Reguladora das Comunicações de Moçambique / Facebook

Mozambique’s National Institute of Communications of Mozambique (INCM)- Communications Regulatory Authority [RECOM], has announced a raft of exceptional measures addressing issues in its remit during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The INCM has exempted from all fees the acquisition of short numbers used to publicise Covid-19 preventative measures, and also suspended the cancellation of any postal and telecommunications licenses which expire during the state of emergency.

Telecommunications operators in Mozambique have been instructed to make calls to health authority numbers free, so as to ensure the tracing of people in quarantine and in isolation.

The communiqué also states that telecommunications operators in Mozambique must make Internet access available free of charge to health authorities, educational platforms and websites of national educational institutions.

INCM recommends that subscription TV operators maintain access to the national public TV service even if customers cannot pay subscriptions, and not to cancel set-top decoder cards as long as the state of emergency is in force.

Radio operators are required to provide, free of charge, morning, afternoon and evening bulletins of news, educational announcements and advertising related to Covid-19 from MISAU or other competent government entities.

Source: Rádio Moçambique