Guinea hosts francophone telecom regulators
Conakry meeting addresses digital infrastructure deployment and connectivity challenges.
Conakry, Guinea, hosted the 24th annual meeting of the Francophone Network of Telecommunications Regulation (FRATEL) starting October 29, 2026. The conference, preceded by an ITU workshop, gathered regulators and experts to discuss measures for deploying digital infrastructure. The goal is to harmonize regulatory and economic tools for effective, accessible, and resilient networks across the francophone space.
Mamady Doumbouya, Director General of Guinea's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARPT), highlighted progress since the ACE fiber optic cable arrived 12 years ago. Guinea now has 13 million mobile subscribers, connecting three in four citizens, and nearly 12 million people to mobile internet, or two in three. However, over 600 localities in Guinea still lack network coverage.
To address these gaps, Doumbouya outlined a three-pillar strategy: sharing infrastructure like pylons and fiber to reduce costs, extending coverage to over 600 villages, and ensuring user trust through network quality control and market data publication. The ARPT aims to gather proposals during the two-day meeting.
Why it mattersOver 600 localities in Guinea still lack network coverage, affecting citizens' access to digital services.