Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, has attributed recent increases in internet prices to the telecommunications industry’s transition to faster mobile networks, including 4G and 5G.
She explained the reasons for the price increases on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during the “Meet the President” dialogue, which brought about 10,000 young people to BK Arena to discuss issues affecting them with President Paul Kagame.
The explanation followed a question from a young participant who wanted to know why telecommunications companies had recently raised internet prices.
Ingabire said the changes were partly linked to the gradual transition from older 2G and 3G networks to newer technologies capable of delivering faster internet speeds and greater capacity.
“Some telecommunications companies have increased internet prices for various reasons, including the transition from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G. As internet speeds and network capacity improve, prices may also increase,” she said.
Among the reported changes, Airtel Rwanda increased the price of a data package that previously cost Rwf3,000 to Rwf4,000, while a package that cost Rwf5,000 now sells for Rwf6,500.
The government has announced plans to gradually phase out 2G and 3G mobile networks as Rwanda moves towards 4G and 5G technology, which is expected to provide faster and more reliable internet services.
The Ministry of ICT and Innovation has announced that 3G services will be discontinued nationwide on June 30, 2027.
Government addresses barriers to social media monetisation
During the discussion, Ingabire also explained why content creators in Rwanda continue to face challenges in earning money from social media platforms.
She said some of the obstacles include restrictions affecting the availability of monetisation features in different countries, as well as difficulties with payment systems.
She noted that creators commonly rely on payment services such as PayPal and Stripe to receive earnings.
Ingabire said discussions were under way between PayPal and Equity Bank Rwanda to explore ways to facilitate payments.
She added that the government had consulted relevant companies on the issue and that Rwanda could benefit if social media platforms expanded monetisation eligibility to more countries.
