The Liberian Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has introduced a new set of regulations designed to empower fintech companies and foster a more competitive mobile market.
The management of numbering resources, including short codes crucial for mobile payments and USSD codes used for mobile banking menus, is to change. Previously controlled by large mobile network operators (MNOs), these resources will now be overseen by the LTA. This, says the authority, ensures fair distribution and prevents any single operator from monopolizing these vital tools.
The change is described as particularly significant for fintech companies, as it grants them the ability to develop mobile financial products without having to follow rules set by MNOs.
Wholesale access to telecom networks for VAS providers is also changing. Fintech companies rely heavily on VAS to offer mobile money transfers, digital wallets, and other financial services, and the new rules guarantee fair access to VAS, fostering a fertile ground for new technologies and services to flourish.
Under the old system, it is claimed, an MNO might restrict access to its network, limiting an app's reach and impact. The LTA's new regulations create an environment where an entrepreneur can confidently launch a service, empowering Liberians with financial tools previously unavailable.
Stakeholders across the telecom and fintech sectors have apparently been supportive of the changes. A one-day public consultation held on 18 July brought together key players, including established mobile money providers like Lonestar Cell MTN Mobile Money and Orange Mobile Money, alongside new fintech companies like Ewallie, Kolacash, and TipMe. This collaborative spirit, it has been said, signifies a promising future for Liberia's dynamic and inclusive mobile financial ecosystem.
Or so many players will hope. It’s very early days yet and the coming months and years may be a better indicator of whether the new regulatory regime keeps its promise to enable innovative fintech startups and smaller operators to compete.