Ezulwini – The Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) has ordered Jenny Internet Eswatini to pay an administrative fine of E150,000 after the internet service provider was found to have unlawfully bypassed the national telecommunications backbone infrastructure operated by Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) at the Malutha Border Post.
The ruling, dated 1 June 2026 and signed by Acting Chief Executive Officer Fikile Gama, follows a formal complaint lodged by EPTC alleging that Jenny Internet had established its own direct cross-border fibre link into Eswatini without routing traffic through EPTC’s backbone network, as required by law.
ESCCOM confirmed through on-site inspections and written and oral submissions from both parties that Jenny Internet had self-provisioned a fibre connection at Malutha, in contravention of Section 53 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2013, and Regulation 5 of the Electronic Communications (Facilities-Sharing) Regulations, 2016. Jenny Internet admitted to the conduct and pleaded guilty before the Commission.
However, ESCCOM also found that EPTC had not fully met its own obligations regarding backbone access, infrastructure sharing, and quality of service. The Commission found that EPTC had been experiencing infrastructure reliability challenges largely attributable to financial constraints, and that these deficiencies had contributed to the circumstances that led to Jenny Internet’s non-compliance.
The Commission’s final orders require Jenny Internet to pay the E150,000 penalty to ESCCOM on or before 30 July 2026, and to route all services entering the Kingdom through EPTC’s backbone connectivity going forward. EPTC, for its part, is directed to make its national backbone infrastructure available to Jenny Internet in an efficient, reliable, non-discriminatory, and transparent manner, and to process all applications for backbone connectivity expeditiously and in good faith.
EPTC is also directed to share existing connections and fibre topology with internet service providers and to provide transparent information on service levels, pricing structures, and complaint resolution processes. The Commission warned EPTC strongly against providing unsatisfactory services and failing to attend timeously to service interruptions raised by Jenny Internet, noting that such conduct had affected Jenny Internet’s ability to service its own customers.
Both parties are directed to continue cooperating in good faith to ensure lawful interconnection arrangements and full compliance with the Electronic Communications Act and applicable regulations.
The decision takes effect on 1 July 2026. The full ruling is available at www.esccom.org.sz.
Leave a comment