For commercial services, the short codes shall be assigned to entities or individuals
wishing to provide Value Added Services or premium rated services. The charges to end
users should not go beyond a maximum premium cost set by the Rwanda Utilities
Regulatory Authority (RURA).
The charges applied by the telecom operators to the short code assignees shall depend on
their commercial agreements.
ARTICLE 8: PROCEDURES FOR SHORT CODE ALLOCATION
Any person who intends to use a short code shall make a formal application to the
Director General of RURA by submitting the following documents:
The application letter;
Printout of the filled online application form (found on RURA website on this
link: http://www.rura.rw/onlinesca/application.php) ;
A certified copy of instrument of incorporation in the Republic of Rwanda
(for Companies, NGOs, Cooperatives and Associations);
A proof of payment of 25,000 Rwf of application fees;
Any other information deemed necessary by the RURA for decision making.
All required documents must be submitted not later than 2 weeks after completing the
online application. If documents are not submitted within the specified timeframe, the
application will be cancelled. When the short code is still needed, the applicant shall fill a
new application.
ARTICLE 9: TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SHORT CODES USAGE
The assignee of short code shall comply with the following terms and conditions in the
usage of assigned short code.
(1) Short codes assigned to entities for cross-network services for both commercial
and non-commercial purpose shall be for the duration of the program proposed to
offer and for a maximum of twelve (12) months. Short code assignee wishing to
renew the authorization to use the short code shall apply for renewal not later than
31st March of the following year.
(2) Services falling under other regulated sectors including but not limited to Media
content, mobile money, internet banking and other Value Added Services must
comply with the relevant applicable laws.
(3) When promoting a short code service, the assignee shall ensure that the
advertising is clear and evident regarding all terms and conditions associated with
the use of the service. At all times, the Short Code assignee must inform
consumers of the cost of using the service.
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