Consumer group looks to bar MVNO progress in Kenya

A Kenyan consumer rights group wants three recently awarded MVNO licenses to be scrapped.

The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) says that while it is not opposed to the MVNOs in principle, it expressed concerns about how the licences were awarded.

The organisation said it had concerns that the licences did not explicitly block pyramid schemes, which would usually be blocked by normal consumer regulations anyway.

In a statement, it laid out its rather technical objections and has filed an appeal to the High Court to block the MVNO licences.

The telecom regulator recently awarded licences to Zioncell Kenya, Mobile Pay, and Finserve Africa. All three companies have signed wholesale access agreements with Bharti Airtel.