Document :

ITU-D SG01 RAPPORTEUR GROUP MEETING  Contribution  7

Title :

Cell Broadcast and multichannel alerting in a context of low smartphone penetration: the case of the two Congos

Date :

2026-07-20

Source :

Congo (Rep. of the)

AI/Question :

Q2/1, Q3/1

Meeting :

2026-09-28

Access :

Restricted to TIES users [ITU-D]

Abstract :

When a disaster takes a mobile network out of service, its subscribers lose access to emergency services and alerts, while competing networks sometimes remain operational in the same area. This contribution examines whether the community law of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), the work of the Regulatory Authority for Communication Technologies (ARTAC) and national licences provide for emergency roaming, prioritization of critical communications and infrastructure sharing in at-risk areas. A threefold gap, evident even in the 2G licence awarded to Congo Telecom in 2025, has been recognized. In light of the American (MDRI), Australian and European frameworks, three measures are proposed: national disaster roaming, a call prioritization scheme based on ITU-T Recommendation E.106 and mandatory sharing of towers in flood-prone areas.