The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Taliban Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has given telecommunications companies until June 28, 2026, to restore internet and voice package prices to their previous levels after recent increases sparked public criticism.
According to a ministry statement, the Afghanistan Telecom
Regulatory Authority (ATRA) held an emergency meeting with representatives of
telecom operators to discuss rising service costs and concerns over service
quality.
Ata Mohammad Yari, ATRA's technical deputy, said access to
affordable and quality telecommunications services is a fundamental right of
citizens and that the authority is committed to protecting consumers' rights.
He warned that legal action would be taken against companies
that fail to comply with the directive.
The ministry said the decision was made by its leadership
and applies to all telecommunications networks that recently increased the
prices of their service packages.
The move follows widespread complaints from users on social
media, where many criticized the sudden increase in the cost of internet and
telecommunications services.
Technical assessments indicate that internet and telecom
service prices in Afghanistan remain relatively high compared with many
countries in the region. Consumers have also continued to raise concerns about
high costs and poor service quality.
The Taliban authorities did not specify what measures would
be taken against companies that fail to restore the previous rates by the
deadline.
