Context and Purpose:
Presidential Decree No. 166/14 addresses the duplication of telecom infrastructure such as towers, ducts, and fibre-optic cables across Angola. It recognizes that sharing existing assets significantly reduces costs, expands the reach of communications services, and lessens environmental and visual impacts.

Key Provisions:

• Principles of Fair Access: All operators must negotiate infrastructure-sharing arrangements in good faith, ensuring non-discrimination, technical feasibility, and transparent pricing.
• Regulatory Oversight: The national communications regulator is empowered to mediate disputes, enforce sharing obligations, and impose sanctions for non-compliance.
• Contractual Frameworks: Operators can enter into flexible agreements covering either passive infrastructure like cables and towers or active elements like network equipment while respecting competition rules.

Impact and Enforcement:
This decree optimizes telecom deployment, especially in rural and underserved areas, by encouraging collaboration among service providers. It spares resources that would otherwise be used to replicate existing infrastructure, thereby fostering more cost-effective and widespread connectivity for the Angolan population.