KEY POINTS
- Rwanda’s RURA has sanctioned GVA Rwanda over CanalBox service disruptions affecting customers nationwide.
- CanalBox must compensate all customers affected by service outages between April 13 and April 20.
- GVA Rwanda faces daily fines of up to Rwf 15 million until it achieves full regulatory compliance.
Rwanda’s telecommunications regulator has run out of patience with CanalBox. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority sanctioned GVA Rwanda Ltd, the company behind the internet service provider, after it continued falling short of service standards following a damaging stretch of network disruptions.
The regulator issued its formal statement on April 27, citing violations of Article 269 of the law governing information and communications technologies. RURA said the company had failed to meet its obligations despite receiving prior enforcement notices.
The sanctions are immediate and specific. GVA Rwanda must compensate all customers affected by outages between April 13 and 20. It must also pay daily penalties until it achieves full compliance and submit regular progress reports within timelines the regulator has set.
“Failure to comply will result in further regulatory action,” RURA warned, adding that it will closely monitor the company’s progress to ensure service stability is fully restored.
What the law allows
Article 269 gives RURA significant enforcement reach. Daily fines range from Rwf 500,000 to Rwf 15 million for each day a licensed operator remains non-compliant from the date the notice is received. Beyond fines, the regulator can impose stricter licence conditions, temporarily suspend operations or revoke the licence entirely in the most serious cases.
The sanctions follow weeks of subscriber complaints. Customers reported slow speeds and intermittent connectivity stretching over days, drawing public frustration and prompting RURA to act.
On April 21, the regulator summoned CanalBox Rwanda’s management for a formal hearing to explain the outages and outline corrective steps.
What caused the disruptions
GVA Rwanda attributed the disruptions to a fibre break along a key regional route in Kenya, which carries a significant share of Rwanda’s international internet traffic. The company said the affected link has since been restored.
However, residual instability has continued to affect service quality for subscribers even after the fix, which is what kept the regulator’s attention on the case and ultimately drove the formal sanctions.
The action signals that RURA is willing to move beyond warnings and directly into enforcement when service standards slip. For CanalBox customers, the compensation order is the most tangible outcome of that shift.
