ARCEP Burkina Faso

What ARCEP Burkina Faso does

ARCEP Burkina Faso (Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes) is the independent administrative regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services in Burkina Faso, established by Decree No. 2009-346/PRES/PM/MPTIC on May 25, 2009. Operating under the four-pillar mandate 'Autoriser, Contrôler, Réguler, Sanctionner' (Authorize, Control, Regulate, Sanction), it holds legal personality and financial autonomy and functions as the sole statutory regulator over a market of 27.36 million active mobile SIM cards (Q2 2024) served by three mobile network operators—Orange BF (46.47% market share), ONATEL/Moov Africa (43.22%), and Telecel Faso (10.3%)—as well as the country's postal sector. The organization is headquartered in Ouagadougou with a team of approximately 10 employees.

Its core deliverables span licensing and authorization of operators, radio frequency allocation under the National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF), numbering resource management, electronic equipment certification, .bf domain name administration, and consumer complaint handling. The authority runs a market observatory producing quarterly reports on mobile, fixed, internet, and postal sectors, and operates the Résomètre mobile application—launched May 15, 2020—that enables consumers to measure mobile network upload/download speed, latency, and coverage. Additional technical instruments include drive-test measurement campaigns, national and regional coverage data maps for 2G/3G/4G networks, and the National Numbering Plan (PNN) that maps phone prefixes to operators.

ARCEP is funded through government budget allocations and regulatory fees collected from licensed operators rather than commercial revenue. The organization is ISO 9001 V2015 certified and currently operates under a published five-year Strategic Plan covering 2024–2028. Its primary stakeholder groups are the State of Burkina Faso (funder), licensed telecom and postal operators (regulated entities), and the general public (consumers of electronic communications and postal services served through consumer protection tools, awareness campaigns, and public consultations).

Name

ARCEP Burkina Faso

Legal name

Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes

Website

https://arcep.bf

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ARCEP Burkina Faso is the independent statutory regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services, overseeing licensing, spectrum allocation, quality monitoring, and consumer protection across a market of 27 million+ mobile subscribers served by three network operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ouagadougou

HQ country

Burkina Faso

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ARCEP Burkina Faso is the independent regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services in Burkina Faso. It licenses and authorizes telecom operators, allocates radio frequency spectrum and numbering resources, certifies electronic equipment, regulates the postal sector, monitors quality of service, handles consumer complaints, and publishes quarterly observatory data and coverage maps covering mobile, fixed, internet, and postal markets. It also operates the Résomètre mobile application enabling consumers to measure mobile network quality.

Product overview

ARCEP Burkina Faso (Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes) is a regulatory authority, not a commercial product company. It operates a portfolio of regulatory services and public-facing digital tools including: the Résomètre mobile application for consumer-driven network quality assessment; domain name registration (.bf) management; numbering resource allocation; electronic equipment certification; radio frequency authorization; postal sector regulation; and observatory/market intelligence reports covering mobile, fixed, internet, and postal sectors. The organization also provides data mapping services, complaint management, and regulatory documents including the National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF) and National Numbering Plan (PNN). The architecture is a platform of separate regulatory services rather than an integrated software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Résomètre: A mobile application for consumers to evaluate and make informed decisions about mobile network operator choices while contributing to overall service quality improvement in the industry. Measures upload speed, download speed, latency, and network coverage.

Products and services

• Résomètre Mobile Application A mobile application enabling consumers to evaluate mobile network quality in Burkina Faso by measuring upload speed, download speed, latency, and network coverage. Combines technical Quality of Service (QoS) measurement with user-perceived Quality of Experience (QoE) assessment. Available on App Store and Google Play.
• .bf Domain Name Registration Services Accreditation and management of domain name registration agents for the .bf country code top-level domain (ccTLD), including accreditation renewal decisions for agents such as IKA SOLUTIONS LTD, SUVAN NET LLC, IT-NUM, and SAFRECO.
• Numbering Resources Management Attribution and management of numbering resources to operators and organizations including CNLF, MAKOR GROUP BF SARL, DEEP TECHNOLOGIES, CGE IMMOBILIER S.A., AI-KING GROUP, and ARCEP itself.
• Electronic Equipment Certification Certification and homologation of radioelectric equipment including VSAT terminals, point-to-point microwave links, WiFi access points, and various radio equipment from manufacturers like Ceragon, Kymeta, Intellian, Ruckus, and Hytera.
• Radio Frequency Authorization Authorization and management of radio frequency spectrum including frequency allocations, renewals, and interference reporting services for operators in Burkina Faso.
• Postal Sector Observatory Quarterly observatory reports on postal sector performance, including delivery time controls and postal operator performance evaluations.
• Mobile Market Observatory Quarterly reports on mobile market statistics including subscriber numbers and market share for Orange BF, Onatel (Moov Africa), and Telecel Faso.
• Internet Market Observatory Quarterly reports on internet market data including mobile internet subscriptions by technology generation (2G, 3G, 4G).
• Fixed Market Observatory Quarterly reports on fixed telecommunications market including fixed line services.
• Service Quality Evaluation Mobile network quality of service evaluation through drive tests and user-reported measurements via the Résomètre application, producing quarterly synthesis reports.
• Complaint Management System Online platform for consumers to file complaints against operators regarding electronic communications and postal services.
• Data Maps National and regional maps showing telecommunications statistics including 2G, 3G, 4G network coverage, mobile, fixed, internet coverage, and radio/TV frequency coverage.
• Plan National d'Attribution des Fréquences (PNAF) National Frequency Allocation Plan updated by Council of Ministers decree, governing frequency band allocations across Burkina Faso.
• Plan National de Numérotation (PNN) National Numbering Plan enabling operator identification by phone number prefix.
• Drive Test Measurement Results Annual measurement campaign data collected via drive tests using vehicles equipped with mobile network quality evaluation tools, covering voice service quality. Made available for citizens, journalists, researchers, developers, operators, and consumer rights organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.36 million mobile subscribers served across three major operators as of Q2 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Neighboring Countries (Regional Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 November 2025ARCEP Burkina Faso has entered into major agreements with neighboring countries on roaming and frequency management. These cross-border cooperation agreements aim to strengthen connectivity and manage radio frequencies across borders, particularly during the Digital Week event.
• Justice Sector (Koudougou Jurisdiction)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025ARCEP and the Justice sector have strengthened their collaboration for effective regulation of the communications sector. Secretary Executive Wendlassida Patrice Compaore led efforts to enhance legal coordination in Koudougou on November 3, 2025.
• La Poste Burkina FasocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2025ARCEP works with La Poste Burkina Faso as the designated operator for universal postal service provision. ARCEP has determined the net cost of universal service and compensation for unfair burdens for La Poste for the year 2020.
• Territorial Collectivities (Local Government)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2025ARCEP and territorial collectivities have consolidated their partnership through national workshops to boost the quality of digital services. The collaboration focuses on connectivity and network quality improvement at the local level, particularly in Bobo-Dioulasso.
• ARCEP TogocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2025On April 18, 2025, ARCEP Burkina Faso and ARCEP Togo officially sealed a cooperation agreement to strengthen regulation of electronic communications. This partnership aims to enhance cross-border coordination and regulatory alignment between the two countries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ARCEP Togo: Togo's telecom and postal regulator, sharing nearly identical name and combined telecom/postal mandate. Signed a formal cooperation agreement with ARCEP Burkina Faso in April 2025, indicating close regulatory alignment.
• ARTCI: Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications/TIC de Côte d'Ivoire, regulating electronic communications in a similarly structured West African francophone market. Performs comparable functions including licensing, spectrum management, and quality monitoring.
• ARPTC DRC: Autorité de Régulation de la Poste et des Télécommunications du Congo—the DRC's combined telecom and postal regulator. Shares the francophone regulatory tradition and joint telecom/postal mandate characteristic of ARCEP Burkina Faso.
• ARCEP France: France's regulatory authority for electronic communications and postal services, sharing the same name and mandate structure. Performs the same core functions—spectrum allocation, operator licensing, market observatory, and consumer protection—at much greater scale.
• CRC Senegal: Conseil de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes du Sénégal—the closest French-language institutional twin to ARCEP Burkina Faso, with the same combined telecom/postal mandate and observatory function.

Others

• ITU: International Telecommunication Union, the UN specialized agency for ICTs. ARCEP Burkina Faso engages with ITU on global spectrum allocation frameworks, standards, and development assistance for national regulators.
• WATRA: West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly—the regional coordination body for national telecom regulators including ARCEP Burkina Faso. Provides a forum for harmonizing regulation across WAEMU/ECOWAS member states.

Broad incumbents

• NCC Nigeria: Nigerian Communications Commission—one of the largest African telecom regulators, overseeing a market of 200M+ mobile subscribers. Performs the same core regulatory functions but at vastly greater scale than ARCEP Burkina Faso.

Regional players

• AMRTP Mali: Mali's telecom regulator (Autorité Malienne de Régulation des Télécommunications, des Postes et des Contenus Numériques). Operates in a similar West African francophone market with comparable scope over telecom and postal services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arcep-burkina-faso

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ARCEP Burkina Faso