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🇨🇩 DR Congo /Technology

Kinshasa subscribers weigh internet volume against package validity

From Radio Okapi · () French

Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A 1-gigabyte package in Kinshasa that previously lasted 24 hours now expires at 11:59 p.m. on the day of activation.
  • Some subscribers are switching to packages valid for 72 hours to avoid losing unused data.
  • A student-led citizen review involving the regulator and telecom operators produced responses to user concerns and helped establish a task force monitoring service quality.

For Kinshasa’s internet users, the choice is becoming less about how much data they buy and more about how quickly they must use it. A 1-gigabyte package that previously remained valid for 24 hours now expires at 11:59 p.m. on the day it is activated.

The change has stirred strong reactions among subscribers, many of whom say they must rethink their daily consumption. Some are turning to packages with longer validity, including plans that last 72 hours. Others say they have to adapt their usage to avoid losing data before the deadline.

“The reduction in the validity period is an additional constraint in managing our daily consumption,” Jean-Marc, a subscriber encountered in Gombe, said.

The Parliament of Students conducted a citizen review in August involving the ARPTC and the main sector operators. Its president, André Kakubu, said the process brought answers to several user concerns and welcomed the creation of a task force focused on monitoring service quality.

Poor telecommunications service remains part of the debate over how operators should shape their offers and whether those packages meet the needs of users in the capital.

The reduction in the validity period is an additional constraint in managing our daily consumption

— Jean-MarcA Kinshasa subscriber described the effect of the shorter validity period.
About this summary

Originally published by Radio Okapi in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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