Burkina Faso clamps down on Orange over billing and consumer complaints ⚠️

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With 12.6 million mobile subscribers as of late 2024, Orange holds a commanding 46% share of Burkina Faso’s telecom market, far ahead of rivals Moov Africa and Telecel. That dominance earned it the designation of a “significant market power operator” from the country’s regulator last December — a label that brings additional responsibilities.

Now, the Burkinabe Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (ARCEP) has laid out a list of new rules Orange must follow to bring more fairness and transparency to the sector.

Transparency rules just got real 🔍

ARCEP is demanding clearer, more detailed, and easy-to-understand information from Orange when it comes to services and pricing. Customers must now be able to track their balances and data usage in real time.

The goal: give users a better understanding of what they’re paying for — and stop the confusion around tariffs and offers.

Billing practices are also under scrutiny. Orange is required to:

• Prioritize using credits with the shortest expiration first,
• Stop automatically wiping out unused balances when a plan expires,
• Provide grace periods when plans are renewed.

These changes aim to curb longstanding complaints of unfair or confusing charges.

A crackdown sparked by customer frustration ⚠️

According to ARCEP, these new requirements come after repeated consumer complaints and market issues that haven’t improved, despite commitments Orange made back in 2023. Official pricing hasn’t changed in over a decade, and customer frustration has been mounting.

Users say offers are confusing, usage terms are unclear, and billing lacks transparency.

In response, the regulator is going beyond polite requests. If Orange doesn’t comply, ARCEP can issue a formal warning followed by daily fines of 500,000 CFA francs (about $855). Additional financial penalties can range from 1% to 3% of annual revenue, and repeat violations could push that to 5%. In extreme cases, Orange could even lose its license.

What’s next: a timeline and a possible legal fight 🗓️

The decision takes effect 45 days after formal notification. Orange does have the right to challenge it, either directly or by appealing to the administrative courts — but it only has two months to act.

ARCEP says it may revise its stance based on future technical, economic, or regulatory developments. For now, though, it’s clear the regulator plans to keep a close watch on Orange — and the broader mobile market.

 💬 What do you think?
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