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Mozambique’s Council of Ministers has approved the Regulation for the Resolution of Communications Disputes during its 42nd session. This regulation represents a significant advancement in bolstering the nation’s regulatory structure for postal and telecommunications services.
The new regulation outlines precise principles, rules, methods, and procedures to handle disputes arising between operators as well as between operators and consumers. Its primary goal is to enhance predictability, operational efficiency, and overall confidence in the sector while filling existing voids in the current Postal Service and Telecommunications Acts.
This approval occurs amid swift expansion and evolution in Mozambique’s communications industry, fueled by advancements in technology, broader network coverage, and shifts in the postal domain due to rising e-commerce, integrated digital and physical solutions, and expanding financial services. Although these innovations drive economic growth and societal benefits, they have simultaneously heightened the intricacy and occurrence of conflicts among involved parties.
Through this regulation, the Communications Regulatory Authority gains a robust framework to perform roles in conciliation, mediation, and arbitration. All dispute resolution activities must follow core principles including legality, transparency, confidentiality, impartiality, independence, fairness, good faith, expeditious handling, and comprehensive rights of defense.
The regulation addresses various dispute categories involving operators and consumers, encompassing issues related to billing, service standards, market competition, network interconnection, infrastructure sharing, data privacy, and information transparency.
It prioritizes approaches such as negotiation, conciliation, and mediation, reserving arbitration for cases where parties explicitly consent. It also sets forth defined procedures and timelines to promote efficiency and safeguard participant rights, alongside the formation of expert, impartial, and interdisciplinary teams to manage these processes.
Now effective, the regulation strengthens the Communications Regulatory Authority’s dedication to safeguarding consumers, ensuring equitable competition, elevating service standards, and fostering industry reliability, thereby contributing to Mozambique’s wider economic and social advancement.
