The National Institute of Communications of Mozambique (INCM) has been granted the authority to block telecommunications in situations of “imminent risk to public or State security,” according to new legislation cited in a report by the Lusa news agency.
“In cases where it is determined that there is an imminent risk to public security, the State, people and property, or a risk to service availability caused by adverse and/or criminal situations, by judicial order, the regulatory authority may issue an instruction for partial or total blocking,” reads Decree 48/2025 of the Council of Ministers.
This measure represents a revision of the 2023 legislation that approved the “Telecommunications Traffic Control Regulation,” aimed at strengthening its effectiveness and adapting it to current technological and security challenges.
The amendment, in force since December, follows several telecommunications shutdowns in Mozambique—particularly of social media—during the protests that followed the October 2024 general elections, which resulted in more than 400 deaths, as well as the destruction and looting of businesses and public property.
The new regulation stresses that the suspension and blocking of traffic “constitute preventive measures” to mitigate risks and that they “may be total or partial, or applied specifically to one or more subscribers, devices or service providers.” As regulator, the INCM “may determine the immediate suspension of telecommunications services whenever there is or is presumed to be the existence of, or imminent risk of, fraud through the improper use of telecommunications systems to the detriment of operators, consumers or the State, while the investigation process is underway, although such a measure must be subsequently submitted for judicial validation.”
“The suspension of traffic may be carried out directly by the operator whenever it involves manifestly fraudulent traffic identified by its own network, and must be reported to the regulatory authority within a maximum period of 24 hours, with the respective technical justification and evidence,” the decree adds.
The amendment aims to “monitor telecommunications traffic in order to ensure greater security in the services provided through telecommunications networks and to protect the public interest, public and State security, as well as to safeguard the interests of licensed telecommunications operators and users.”
The regulation defines the INCM’s powers as including “controlling telecommunications traffic, except on private networks; acquiring, installing, operating and maintaining the equipment and systems necessary for such control; inspecting and auditing operators’ networks; and suspending telecommunications services whenever there is or is presumed to be the existence of, or imminent risk of, fraud.”
The document also requires operators to allow the regulator to install and maintain the necessary equipment on their premises and to contribute monthly with a portion of their revenue towards the implementation of the telecommunications traffic control system. “The fines to be applied may reach up to 3,500 minimum wages, with 60% of the revenue allocated to the State Budget and 40% to the INCM,” it concludes.
Source: Diário Económico
