Togo PNAF 2026: ARCEP Updates Frequency Allocation
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Togo Approves a New National Frequency Allocation Plan (PNAF): What the ARCEP Update Means for Spectrum and Compliance
On April 15, 2026, the Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP), Togo's telecommunications and postal regulator, formalized Decree No. 2026-037/PC, approving a new Plan National d'Attribution des bandes de Fréquences radioélectriques (PNAF), the National Frequency Allocation Plan. The decree had been adopted in the Council of Ministers, chaired by the President of the Council, on March 11, 2026, and the new plan replaces the framework previously set out in Decree No. 2022-030.
For manufacturers, test laboratories, and regulatory affairs teams placing wireless equipment on the Togolese market, the PNAF is not a peripheral document. It is the master reference that determines which radio services are permitted in each band and therefore the foundation on which equipment homologation (type-approval) in Togo ultimately rests.
Regulatory Context: Why Togo Revised Its PNAF
A PNAF is the national table that maps every frequency band to the radiocommunication services permitted within it (fixed, mobile, broadcasting, satellite, aeronautical, maritime, and others) and identifies the public bodies, or "affectataires," responsible for each band. It translates the international spectrum framework into national rules and is the instrument that prevents interference between competing services.
The driver behind the 2026 revision is alignment with the ITU Radio Regulations as amended at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23), held in Dubai. WRC-23 introduced significant changes to the global allocation table, and ITU member states are expected to transpose those changes into their national plans. Togo sits in ITU Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), so its allocations follow the Region 1 outcomes of WRC-23.
The 2022 PNAF had become out of step with these developments. The 2026 plan is therefore both a modernization, bringing in new and emerging technologies, and a compliance exercise that re-anchors Togo's spectrum management to current international standards.
Inside the Togo PNAF Update: Technical Scope
According to the government communiqué accompanying the decree, the revised PNAF introduces several substantive additions to the national allocation table:
New spectrum for 5G/IMT and high-altitude platforms
The plan identifies additional frequency bands to support the development of 5G (International Mobile Telecommunications, IMT) and High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS). This reflects the WRC-23 Region 1 outcomes, under which the following mid-band ranges were identified for IMT and are the baseline a Region 1 PNAF would now reflect:
3300–3400 MHz — identified for IMT
3600–3800 MHz — identified for IMT (mid-band)
4800–4990 MHz — identified for IMT, subject to power limits to protect aeronautical and maritime mobile services
6425–7125 MHz (upper 6 GHz) — identified for IMT in Region 1, while also recognized for Wireless Access Systems including RLANs (Wi-Fi 6E/7)
Note for compliance teams: the band ranges above are the WRC-23 Region 1 identifications that a national plan typically transposes. The exact Togolese designations, footnotes, sharing conditions, and service status (primary/secondary) must be read directly from the published PNAF table, which is the only authoritative source for product planning.
Maritime safety information
The plan introduces a system for transmitting maritime safety information, reflecting WRC-23 provisions aimed at strengthening safety-of-life services at sea.
New aeronautical mobile allocations
The PNAF allocates new bands to aeronautical mobile services, consistent with the global push to modernize aviation communications.
Inter-satellite communications framework
Finally, the plan adds a regulatory framework for inter-satellite communications, recognizing the growing role of non-terrestrial networks and satellite constellations in the connectivity ecosystem.
What the Togo PNAF Means for Manufacturers
For equipment makers, EMC/RF test laboratories, and compliance professionals, the practical consequences are concentrated in three areas:
Market access follows the allocation table. Radio equipment placed on the Togolese market must operate in bands and under conditions consistent with the PNAF. The addition of new IMT, HAPS, aeronautical, and satellite bands widens the range of products that can, in principle, be homologated for use in Togo — but only within the technical conditions the plan specifies.
Product roadmaps for 5G and Wi-Fi 6E/7 gain a clearer national basis. With the upper 6 GHz range now formally addressed in the Region 1 framework, manufacturers of 5G infrastructure, fixed wireless access, and 6 GHz-capable Wi-Fi devices have a defined reference point for the Togolese market. Where a band carries both an IMT identification and an RLAN recognition, expect potential sharing or coordination conditions that affect permitted use.
Homologation references are updated, not the homologation procedure itself. This decree approves an allocation plan; it does not, on its own, rewrite ARCEP's type-approval procedures. However, because homologation decisions are made against the national allocation framework, manufacturers should expect ARCEP to assess new applications against the 2026 PNAF rather than the superseded 2022 plan.
Recommended posture: treat the published PNAF table as a controlled reference document in your regulatory database for Togo, and verify the band, service status, and any footnote conditions for each product before filing for homologation.
Certification Impact Summary
The table below compares the compliance picture before and after the 2026 PNAF at a framework level. Specific band-by-band conditions should always be confirmed against the published plan.
Dimension | Before (Decree 2022-030 PNAF) | After (Decree 2026-037/PC PNAF) |
Governing instrument | Decree No. 2022-030 | Decree No. 2026-037/PC (in force) |
International baseline | Pre-WRC-23 ITU Radio Regulations | WRC-23 (2023) Radio Regulations, Region 1 |
5G / IMT mid-bands | Limited / legacy identifications | Expanded identifications incl. upper 6 GHz (Region 1) |
Wi-Fi 6E/7 (6 GHz) | Not aligned with WRC-23 upper 6 GHz outcome | Upper 6 GHz addressed (IMT + RLAN recognition) |
HAPS | Not specifically provided | New bands identified |
Aeronautical mobile | Prior allocations | New bands allocated |
Maritime safety | Prior framework | Maritime safety information transmission introduced |
Inter-satellite links | Not framed | Regulatory framework added |
Homologation reference | Assessed against 2022 table | Assessed against 2026 table |
Timeline and Required Actions
Key dates
March 11, 2026 — The Council of Ministers adopts the decree approving the new PNAF.
April 15, 2026 — Decree No. 2026-037/PC is formalized, bringing the new PNAF into effect and superseding Decree No. 2022-030.
Action plan for manufacturers and compliance teams
Obtain and archive the current plan. Download the published PNAF from the ARCEP source link and log it as the controlling allocation reference for Togo, retiring the 2022 version from active use.
Re-map your active and pipeline products. For each radio product targeting Togo, confirm the band, service status (primary/secondary), and any footnote/power conditions against the 2026 table — paying particular attention to 5G mid-bands and 6 GHz devices.
Re-validate in-flight homologation filings. For any type-approval application submitted under the prior framework, confirm with ARCEP whether the file will be assessed against the new plan and update technical justifications accordingly.
Flag sharing and coordination conditions. Where a band carries both IMT and RLAN status (e.g., upper 6 GHz), document the applicable conditions, as they can constrain permitted operating modes or power.
Brief commercial and product teams. Communicate the newly available bands (5G/IMT, HAPS, aeronautical, satellite) so roadmap and market-entry decisions reflect the expanded — and conditional — opportunity set.
Monitor ARCEP for implementing texts. Watch for any subsequent decisions, technical specifications, or homologation guidance that operationalize the new allocations.
Broader Market Significance
Togo has positioned itself as an early mover on 5G in West Africa, with a commercial launch via Togocom dating to November 2020, initially focused on Lomé. The 2026 PNAF gives that ambition a renewed regulatory foundation, supplying the spectrum framework needed to expand 5G beyond its current footprint, where 4G still carries the majority of mobile traffic.
More broadly, the update signals that Togo intends to keep its spectrum regime synchronized with international standards rather than letting it drift. For a market of Togo's size, that alignment lowers friction for global equipment vendors: products designed to WRC-23-harmonized band plans are more readily mapped to Togolese requirements.
The inclusion of HAPS, aeronautical mobile, maritime safety, and inter-satellite provisions also indicates a regulator preparing for non-terrestrial and safety-of-life connectivity, not just consumer mobile broadband.
For manufacturers and compliance professionals, the takeaway is straightforward: the rulebook that governs what can be homologated in Togo has changed, and the published PNAF is now the reference of record.
