• Stakeholders discuss service standards, pricing transparency
• Move follows cooperation deal with Turkey’s regulator

Somalia’s National Communications Authority (NCA) met telecommunications industry stakeholders on Monday to review a draft consumer protection regulation aimed at strengthening oversight of the fast-growing sector.

The meeting, held Feb. 16, 2026, brought together mobile operators, internet service providers (ISPs), submarine cable companies and consumer representatives.

Discussions focused on the draft’s policy objectives, guiding principles and main provisions, including consumer rights, quality-of-service standards, pricing transparency and contractual terms.

The initiative reflects the authorities’ intent to regulate a rapidly growing market and strengthen user confidence.

“A fair, transparent and accountable telecommunications environment is essential for building public trust and supporting the country’s digital transformation. Protecting consumer rights is a shared responsibility between the Authority and service providers,” said Mustafa Yasin Sheikh, director general of the NCA.

The draft regulation follows the signing earlier in February of a memorandum of understanding with Turkey’s Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). The partnership aims, among other objectives, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in electronic communications.

Somali officials discussed consumer protection with Turkish technical experts to help ensure a fairer and more transparent telecoms environment as mobile and internet connectivity expand rapidly across the country.

Adoni Conrad Quenum