Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo - 3.4 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Telecommunications
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Telecommunications in DRC is under the Ministère des Postes, Télécommunications et Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (PTNTIC) and managed through four structures : 

  • The Société congolaise de fibre optique (SOCOF) created in 2016 and oversees the construction, management, operation and maintenance of the fiber optic infrastructure. 

  • The Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Telecommunication du Congo (ARPTC), an independent administrative authority created in 2002 with the key role of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations and conventions in the telecommunications sector. 

  • The Réseau National de Télécommunications par Satellite (RENATELSAT) was created in 1996 and oversees the management and maintenance of the domestic satellite telecommunications network. 

  • The Société Congolaise des Postes et Télécommunications (SCPT) was created in 2008 and is responsible for the postal service. 

For more information on telecoms contacts, please see the following link: 4.11 Additional Services Contact List
 

Telephone Services 

Is there an existing landline telephone network? 

Yes 

Does it allow international calls? 

Yes 

Number and Length of Downtime Periods (on average) 

n/a 

Mobile Phone Providers 

Vodacom, Airtel, Orange, Africell 

Approximate Percentage of National Coverage 

47,1 % in 2021 (source ARPTC)  
Major cities are fully covered compared with the countryside. Indeed, mobile operators are reluctant to invest in location with a low-density population 

Telecommunication Regulations

ARPTC is the regulatory authority in charge of managing, delivering authorizations and to control the frequencies. Explanations and procedures are available here for VHF-HF frequencies and here for VSAT.

Regulations on Usage and Import 

Regulations 

in Place? 

Regulating 

Authority 

Satellite 

Yes 

ARPTC 

HF Radio 

Yes 

ARPTC 

UHF/VHF/HF radio: handheld, base and mobile 

Yes 

ARPTC 

UHF/VHF repeaters 

Yes 

ARPTC 

GPS 

n/a 

n/a 

VSAT 

Yes 

ARPTC 

Individual Network Operator Licenses Required  Yes   
Frequency Licenses Required  Yes   

 

VSAT Providers 

AFRICAN DIGITAL NETWORK 

COMPASS GREEN WORLDWIDE SARL 

CYBERNET SPRL 

KONNECT AFRICA SARLU 

RAGASAT SARL 

SONEMA SAM MONACO SA 

VODACOM CONGO RDC S. A 

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems 

The United Nations agencies have a national telecom system under the same umbrella and managed by UNDSS (United Nations Department of Safety and Security). A common radio room is operating 24/7 from Kinshasa. 
 

 

UN Agencies 

VHF Frequencies 

Yes 

HF Frequencies 

Yes 

Locations of Repeaters  

Yes 

VSAT 

Yes 

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

In 2019, the DRC government launched the Plan National du Numérique “Horizon 2025” (Cabinet du Numérique) to reduce the digital divide with the aim of boosting economic growth and industrialization, reducing poverty and improving people's lives.  

The country records an internet penetration rate of 17,6% of the global population in 2021 (Source ARPTC) which represents barely 12 to 15% of Congolese connected to internet. 

Internet Service Providers 

Are there ISPs available? 

Yes 

AFRICAN DIGITAL NETWORK SARLU 

AFRICELL RDC S.A 

AFRINET SARL 

AIRTEL CONGO RDC S.A 

AJYWA TELECOM 

AROP CONGO TELECOM SARL 

AT HOLDINGS 

CASTOR NETWORKS RDC SARL 

CITRACO SPRL /TELESOL 

COMTECH SARL 

CONGO BROADBAND NETWORK 

CONNECTIS SARL 

DHI TELECOM DRC 

ELITE NETWORK SARL 

FAST NET SARLU 

GLOBAL BROADBAND SOLUTION 

GROUPE TELECOM (GTL) SARL 

IBURST AFRICA 

INTERNATIONAL SYSTEMS SARL 

KINSHASA WIRELESS SARL KIWI 

MICROCOM SARL 

OLIVER SOFT SARL 

ORANGE RDC S.A 

ORIONCOM SARL 

RAGA NET SARL 

TECH PLUS SARL 

UNLIMITED SARLU 

VODACOM CONGO RDC S. A 
 
Below list of Fiber optic service providers 
 

AIRTEL CONGO RDC S.A 

BANDWITH AND CLOUD SERVICES DR 

ELIM SOLUTIONS SARL 

GLOBAL BROADBAND SOLUTION 

GROUPE VIVENDI AFRICA (GVA) RD 

LIQUID TELECOM DRC SARL 

MICROCOM SARL 

RAGA NET SARL 

SOCIETE CONGOLAISE DE LA FIBRE, SOCOF 

STANDARD TELECOM 

UNITED SA 

VODACOM CONGO RDC S. A 

If yes, are they privately or government owned? 

Private  

Dial-up only? 

No,  

Broadband and fiber optic are available in country  

Approximate Rates (local currency and USD - $) 

Broadband 

Depends on the subscription plan  

Fiber optic 

Depends on the subscription plan 

(starting from 49USD/month with 20 Mbps)  

Max Leasable ‘Dedicated’ Bandwidth 

Not applicable  

Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) 

The cell phone is currently one of the main means of communication. In 2022, four MNOs (Vodacom, Orange, Airtel, Africell) are operating in DRC with valid licenses until 2038-2039. The mobile networks only covers the main cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Matadi, Goma, Lubumbashi, Kananga, Bunia, Kalemie ) and many vast parts of the territory have no signal as are generally considered unprofitable spaces.

image-20230706135524-2image-20230706135524-3

Source: GSMA

For information on MNOs please visit the GSM Association website

Mobile money solutions are rapidly growing over the last decade as getting cash to and from the bank is a severe problem, especially in the provinces where the security situation is volatile. During the last quarter 2021, the mobile money turnover realized by the four operators reached 53,312,934 USD (Source ARPTC).

Company 

Number of Agent Outlets by Area 

Network Strength by Area 

Contracted for Humanitarian or Government Cash Transfer 

Programmes? 

Services Offered 

(i.e. Merchant Payment, 

Bulk Disbursement, 

Receive & Make Payment) 

VODACOM 
M-Pesa 

60 across the country (locator here

Info per location here 

Yes 

Merchant Payment, Money Transfer, Receive & Make Payment 

AIRTEL  

Money 

41 across the country (locator here

Info per location here 

ORANGE  

Money 

40 across the country (locator here

n/a 

AFRICELL 
Afrimoney 

30 across the country (locator here

n/a 

 

Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.  

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider. 

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