The Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications et des Postes (ARTP) has opened a public consultation on how the electronic communications sector should develop and how new players and emerging technologies should be regulated. Among the issues raised, the arrival of satellite operators stands out as one of the most pressing.
Senegal’s telecoms regulator launched the exercise under Article 208 of Law No. 2018-28 of 12 December 2018, which established the Electronic Communications Code. It is seeking views from the digital ecosystem, user associations and the general public on a study covering the sector’s outlook and the framework for supervising new actors and emerging technologies.
Contributions are open from 30 September to 21 October 2026 and may address all or part of the document. Submissions must reach etude.pcr@artp.sn by 18:00 Dakar time on the closing date.
A Market Being Reshaped by Low Earth Orbit
The study places satellite services among the main emerging technologies and actors. It notes that the global satellite services market is expected to reach about USD 53 billion by 2030, driven largely by the rise of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations.
Competition between orbits, it says, is changing the economics of the industry. LEO operators such as Starlink are winning consumer and maritime customers thanks to lower latency and lower costs, which is pushing geostationary (GEO) operators to consolidate and adopt hybrid, multi-orbit strategies.
Direct to Cell and the Spectrum Question
The study also highlights direct-to-cell technology, which, combined with the spread of eSIM, allows satellite operators to serve mobile users directly without any change to their handsets. According to the document, this requires close coordination with local terrestrial operators, since the compatible frequency bands (L and S bands, or LTE) are already largely allocated.
In Senegal, the study observes strong demand from new satellite players seeking to operate legally. This raises the question of which regulatory framework should govern the allocation of satellite spectrum and coordination with the established mobile operators.
Six Questions on Satellite Regulation
The consultation puts six questions to respondents specifically on satellite operators. They ask which authorisation regime (licence, authorisation or declaration) is most suitable and how it should differ from the one applied to terrestrial operators. They also ask which forms of cooperation between satellite and terrestrial players deserve encouragement or regulation, including distribution agreements, capacity resale, hybrid offers, backhaul and infrastructure sharing.
Respondents are asked whether the rules should impose a principle of complementarity, obliging cooperation with terrestrial operators, or leave the market to organise itself. Other questions concern which obligations on coverage, quality of service, data localisation and local presence should apply to satellite operators to ensure fair competition with terrestrial operators, who already carry coverage obligations. The final two ask which technical coordination mechanisms should be formalised, including frequency management, interference and the role of the national civil aviation and meteorology agency ANACIM, and which satellite regulations adopted in other countries could be transposed to Senegal.
Legal Framework and Institutional Roles
Three further questions set the legal context. They ask whether provisions of the Electronic Communications Code hinder existing activity or the entry of new actors, whether such obstacles call for legislative change or only a regulatory adjustment, and how responsibilities should be divided between ARTP and other authorities, notably the BCEAO and WAEMU for Mobile Money and ANACIM for satellite spectrum, to avoid duplicated procedures and legal gaps.
A Ten-Year Outlook
The consultation also aims to produce a ten-year projection for the sector, based on the current state of play, the State’s political vision and the views of stakeholders. It is meant to estimate the future value of the market and the number of actors that could operate in it while maintaining an optimal level of competition, against the backdrop of new satellite entrants and fast-growing digital platforms.
Mobile Money as the Wider Backdrop
Beyond satellites, the study underlines how far digital services have moved into the financial mainstream. Globally, Mobile Money reached 2.3 billion registered accounts in 2025, up 13%, with USD 2.1 trillion in transactions, up 23%. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 66% of global transaction value, and West Africa was the fastest-growing region in value terms, at 34%.
In Senegal, where only 23% of the population is banked, Mobile Money has become basic financial infrastructure, with a penetration rate of 76%. The market is dominated by Wave and Orange Money. In November 2022, ARTP widened the classification of value-added service providers to include aggregators, digital financial service providers and Internet of Things (M2M/IoT) specialists.
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