(JUBA) – Mobile phone tariffs across South Sudan will be adjusted from midnight on 26 June after regulators approved new rates they say are needed to stop mobile networks from cutting services or collapsing altogether.
The National Communications Authority announced the change on Wednesday, framing it as a tariff exchange rate adjustment rather than a direct price increase. The base rates for calls, data and mobile money have not changed for ten years, but operators say the steep fall of the South Sudanese Pound and the rising cost of fuel and equipment have made the business unsustainable.
Mobile network operators have reported that without quick action they would be forced to scale down operations. That would mean dropped calls, patchy internet and lost mobile money services across the country. The regulator said it stepped in to prevent disruptions that would hurt millions of users and isolate communities that rely on mobile networks for trade, transfers and information.
The decision followed months of talks with the Ministry of ICT and Postal Services, parliamentary committees, the NCA management board, mobile operators and civil society groups. The process ended with Council of Ministers Resolution No. 13 of 2026, which directed institutions to take steps to protect the telecoms sector.
The NCA said the adjustment will be phased in gradually to soften the impact on consumers. It has also ordered mobile operators to carry the larger share of inflation pressures rather than passing the full weight onto subscribers. The authority promised to monitor implementation closely and link the new rates to improved service quality.
Director General Rizig Dominie Samuel thanked the public for its patience and said the regulator had tried to balance consumer protection with the need to keep the country connected.