The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has initiated final stakeholder consultations to finalize a dedicated commercial framework for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet Telephony services.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is finalizing its new Technical and Operational Guidelines for the Deployment and Rollout of Commercial Internet Telephony Services moving to replace the country’s legacy Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) rules established in August 2005.
The regulatory process led by Director General Jessy Maruti addresses the technological transition across Kenya’s telecommunications sector over the last two decades. As voice communications have migrated away from legacy copper-wire landlines (PSTN) and traditional mobile networks (PLMN) toward advanced internet-based protocol platforms, the CA developed the updated 2026 framework to eliminate existing regulatory gaps establish a level playing field between internet calling startups and traditional telcos, and enforce strict quality-of-service standards.
To ensure that internet-based calling delivers reliable audio comparable to traditional mobile networks, the finalized guidelines mandate strict, measurable quality benchmarks for all licensed commercial service providers.
Under the operational rules, commercial internet voice services must maintain an end-to-end signal delay of less than 150 milliseconds, keep overall packet loss below 1 percent, and restrict audio jitter variations to under 20 milliseconds.
Additionally, the guidelines mandate the adoption of modern IPv6 networking protocols and require priority traffic queuing to process voice packets ahead of standard web traffic, preventing audio drops and transmission distortion. The framework also establishes clear legal parameters for hybrid calling models, where voice calls originate on a traditional mobile network and terminate over the internet.
The updated guidelines establish distinct licensing requirements based on an operator’s functional scope. Companies offering domestic internet calling services must secure an Application Service Provider (ASP) license, whereas entities routing or terminating international voice traffic require an International Gateway Systems and Services (IGSS) license.
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To protect consumers against cyber scams, spam and identity impersonation, the framework enforces stringent Caller Line Identity (CLI) rules. All commercial internet calls are required to display valid, verifiable caller numbers. Furthermore, traditional mobile and fixed-line network operators are legally obligated to block any incoming internet calls that lack proper identification, while reporting suspected fraudulent or manipulated calls directly to regulatory authorities.
Following the initial public consultation notice issued in February 2026 and feedback received via dedicated review channels, the Communications Authority has scheduled a stakeholder validation forum for September 30, 2026 to review the finalized draft guidelines before they officially replace the 2005 rules and take full effect.
