Document :

UIT-D SG02 RAPPORTEUR GROUP MEETING  Contribution  26

Titre :

Adoption of a legal regime for the informal practice of selling electronic communication services known as wifi zone: a tool for promoting digital entrepreneurship

Reçu le :

2026-08-12

Source :

Benin

AI/Question :

Q1/1, Q1/2

Réunion :

2026-10-07

Disponibilité :

Réservé aux utilisateurs TIES [UIT-D]

Résumé :

In Benin, Internet access via local Wi-Fi access points, known as wifi zone, has grown significantly as an informal practice, carried out without compliance with the laws and regulations in force. As part of its mandate to monitor the compliance of players in the electronic communications market with the law, and in order to support initiatives that promote digital entrepreneurship and accessibility, Benin launched a formalization campaign based on a regulatory process that is proportionate, free of charge and fully dematerialized. It places the activity under the appropriate legal regime: either the cybercaf? regime, which requires a simple declaration, for operators of a local access point; or the Internet service provider (ISP) regime, which has stricter obligations, particularly regarding subscriber identification, for those operating an extensive network. The scope of the activity has therefore expanded from simple access points to full-scale local networks traversing the public domain, deployed without any formal network declaration. This shift from access point to network has immediate consequences: interference to authorized networks, unauthorized occupation of the public domain, risk of accidents linked to antennas installed without regulatory supervision, quality of service that is not subject to oversight and unfair competition to the detriment of regulated players.