NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 8 – The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has proposed a standalone licensing regime for data centres, in a move that could change how operators of the country’s growing digital infrastructure sector are regulated.The regulator said it wants to create a specific licence for data centre operations instead of continuing to regulate co-location facilities under the Network Facilities Provider (NFP) Tier 2 category.“CA proposes to introduce a standalone Data Centre licence category, rather than regulate co-location data centres under the Network Facilities Provider -Tier 2 licence category,” the Authority said in a public notice.The proposed change is aimed at giving the rapidly expanding sector a clearer regulatory framework while improving the regulator’s oversight of data centre operations.“The proposed approach is intended to provide regulatory clarity, enhance visibility over data centre operations, support investment in digital infrastructure, and align Kenya’s framework with proportionate approaches adopted in comparable jurisdictions,” the CA said.Under the proposed framework, the new licence would apply to companies providing co-location data centre services and related support services.The Authority said the proposal was now open for public participation and invited industry players and members of the public to submit their views.“The Authority therefore invites stakeholders and the public to submit comments on the proposed licensing framework for colocation data centre operations in Kenya,” the notice said.Stakeholders have 30 days from the date of publication of the notice to submit written comments on the proposed framework.The move comes only months after the CA’s revised telecommunications market structure brought commercial data centres within the existing licensing framework, including the NFP-T2 category. The latest proposal therefore represents a further shift towards creating a regulatory category specifically tailored to data centre operations.The CA is responsible for regulating Kenya’s ICT sector, including telecommunications, cybersecurity, e-commerce, broadcasting, multimedia and postal and courier services.It also manages the country’s numbering and frequency spectrum resources, administers the Universal Service Fund and safeguards the interests of ICT service users.Data centres have become increasingly important to Kenya’s digital economy, supporting cloud computing, financial technology, e-commerce, telecommunications and other services that rely on large-scale data storage and processing.The proposed standalone licence is not yet in force. The CA is seeking views from stakeholders before deciding on the final framework.