D.R. Congo: International Bandwidth Tax

RIS has just completed an analysis of the proposed International bandwidth tax in D.R.Congo. In January 2021, operators were notified that they were required to pay a 5% fee on all international bandwidth. Our analysis shows that 47 countries in Africa use more international bandwidth per capita than D.R. Congo and 44 are cheaper for a basic 300 MB basket per month. 10MB per day for a month, i.e., 300MB, costs 4.6% of the average GNI per capita per month in the D.R. Congo, double the target of the 2% affordability target of the Broadband Commission.  The result of an international bandwidth tax would be to increase the input cost for mobile broadband and will lead to higher prices and less investment. Read the full presentation here.