Frequently Asked Questions - Botswana Telecommunications Authority

Q1. How can I get the licence for my citizen band radio station?

Click here to download application forms.

Q2. What are the fees for licence for an Internet Service Providers, Data Service Providers and Private Network Licences?

The licences fees for these are P10,000.00 initial fee (Once off fee) and P3,000.00 for annual fee. Both fees attract Value Added Tax (VAT) For more information on licence feed click here.

Q3. Who do I complain to if the service of one of the providers (BTC, Mascom, Orange, BotsNet, UUNET, Mega Internet, etc) is bad?

To complain to BTA you must first contact or complain to your service provider and if all the channels are exhausted contact the Consumer Affairs Manager or Compliance Department at 395 7755 to read more on how to complain click here.

Q4. Must I renew my licence, and if yes, how?

A license must be renewed every 12 months. Click here for application renewal form (in PDF format).

Q5. What does BTA do?

For more detailed information about the work of BTA click here.

Q7: What are Value-Added Networks (VANs)?

Value-Added-Networks (VANs) provide additional functions to increase the value of basic telecommunication services and infrastructure upon which they were built.

Q8: How can I obtain more information on growth trends of certain telecommunication services in Botswana, e.g., mobile phone penetration etc?

BTA will soon publish growth trends of various telecommunication market segments on its website. For further information contact market@bta.org.bw.

Q9. What is the prime objective of licensing?

The fundamental objective of licensing is to allow new operators in the liberalised or privatised telecommunication markets in a non-discriminatory, proportionate and transparent manner.

Q10 . What categories or types of licenses and licensing do exist?

BTA issues various types of licenses for different services. The services are mainly classified as "Service license" and "Systems license". The main types or categories of licenses being issued are as follows:

Basic Services e.g. fixed operators
Cellular mobile telephone services
Radio Paging Services
Internet service providers
Value Added Services

For more information click here

Q11. What should licence application include?

For a complete Application Procedure (download here in Acrobat)