[Standard]The government will waive licence fees for firms that set up community networks in underserved areas of the country to accelerate Internet connectivity. As at last year, there were only four community networks in Kenya running pilot projects. Take a surveyHigh spectrum fees and regulatory demands on annual reporting further make it difficult for community networks without steady revenue streams. Under the new proposal, operators deploying within a sub-county will only pay Sh1,000 in licence application fees, Sh5,000 in initial operating licence fees and Sh5,000 in annual operating fees for a 10-year licence. The authority says it will set up a regulatory sandbox where spectrum fees will be waived for service providers that will be invited to test technologies that can use TV white spaces.

Source: Standard Digital May 19, 2021 12:22 UTC