SURINAME · EXPLAINER
Key Facts
- The country Suriname is a small South American country on the Atlantic coast, between Guyana and French Guiana, where Dutch is the official language.
- What TAS is The Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname, or TAS, is the government agency that licenses and supervises telecommunications, radio and television in Suriname.
- Legal basis Parliament created TAS in the Telecommunications Facilities Act of 11 November 2004, which also gave it control of radio frequencies and phone numbers.
- Funding TAS earns its own income from concession fees, licence fees and fines listed in the law, and any yearly surplus goes to the State.
- Who runs it A director appointed by the President for five years leads TAS, and a supervisory board of five to seven members oversees her.
- What happened The director’s five-year term ended in October 2026, and the board, the minister and the director disagree over who now runs TAS.
- The catch President Jennifer Simons says she will sign no new appointment until an investigation into TAS has been carried out.
Suriname TAS, short for Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname, is the government agency that licenses and supervises phone, internet, radio and television services in the country. Its director’s five-year term ended in October, and a fight over who runs the agency has reached the President and a court.
This explainer covers what TAS does, who pays for it and why the standoff matters. For the latest developments, read the Rio Times news report on the TAS director dispute.
What Suriname TAS Does as Telecom Authority
Parliament created Suriname TAS in the Telecommunications Facilities Act of 11 November 2004. The law replaced a 1998 state decree that had set up an earlier version of the agency, and TAS has its seat in Paramaribo.
Its tasks include granting licences, supervising the prices of regulated services, managing the radio frequency spectrum and running the national phone numbering plan. It also settles disputes and advises the minister in charge of communications, currently Raymond Landveld, who heads the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism.
When the law took effect, TAS also took over the public regulatory powers that the telephone company Telesur had held until then. In effect, that separated the job of setting the rules from the job of running a network.
Who Suriname TAS Regulates
Nobody may build or run telecommunications infrastructure in Suriname without a concession, which the President grants on the minister’s advice after hearing TAS. Radio transmitters and cable systems need licences that TAS grants itself, while broadcast programme licences go to the President on TAS advice.
TAS lists radio and television, maritime, aeronautical and internet-provider licences on its website, alongside frequencies and phone numbers. Any company working in those fields has to deal with the agency before it can legally operate.
In October 2023 TAS stated that it had signed no agreement with Starlink and had issued it no licence. It called unlicensed use of Starlink equipment unlawful, citing Article 55, and warned of fines or seizure of equipment.
How Suriname TAS Is Funded
The law lists the agency’s income, including concession fees from network operators, licence fees, fines and payments for work done for third parties. A concession fee has two parts, a one-time charge when the concession is granted and an annual charge for supervision.
Each year, once running costs and reserves for development are covered, any surplus goes to the State. The director must set the budget before 1 November and send it to the supervisory board for approval.
Before 1 April each year the director must report on financial management to the board and the minister, with a statement from an accountant. The minister sets the pay of board members, and TAS’s operating account covers it.
Suriname TAS also manages the Universal Service Fund, which every concession holder funds with the same percentage of gross income. The minister sets the percentage on TAS’s advice, and the money goes to concession holders that offer the designated services in the designated areas.
Who Runs TAS and Who Oversees It
A director leads TAS and represents it in and out of court, with an appointment lasting five years. The President appoints, suspends and dismisses the director on the minister’s proposal, once the Council of Ministers has approved.
Above the director sits a supervisory board, the Raad van Commissarissen, with five to seven members whom the minister appoints for up to three years. The minister also names its chair and can dismiss members mid-term with the approval of the Council of Ministers.
If the director is absent or prevented, a deputy director chosen by the board takes over. If there is neither a director nor a deputy, the board itself manages TAS provisionally.
Why the TAS Dispute Matters for Governance
Key News Suriname traced the tensions between director Wendy Jap-A-Joe and the board back to February 2026. The board asked for an independent investigation in June, and on 26 August the Council of Ministers rejected a request to suspend her.
On 20 October the board said Jap-A-Joe could no longer sign for Suriname TAS, and the minister ordered her in writing to hand over. According to Starnieuws, she disputed this in a letter citing her employment contract, and the handover did not take place.
President Simons said on 21 October that she never agreed to let the director stay on. She will sign no new appointment before the investigation takes place, while the board has gone to court to force the handover.
The board also says that acts taken in her name after 20 October are not authorized without its written confirmation. TAS accepts no responsibility for them unless the board confirms them in writing.
The crisis reached the National Assembly, Suriname’s parliament, on Tuesday 20 October, where lawmakers clashed in a heated exchange. The government told them the matter has its attention.
What It Means for US Readers
Suriname is courting US investment in oil, agriculture and infrastructure, and companies needing frequencies or internet licences there deal with Suriname TAS. An agency with contested leadership is a risk to price in, because licence and frequency decisions run through it.
Watch the court ruling in the summary proceedings, whether the investigation gets under way, and who is named director. Any of the three would clarify who can sign licence and tariff decisions at Suriname TAS.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when the court will rule in the summary proceedings the board has started. Who will carry out the investigation, what it will cover and when it will begin has not been announced.
No successor has been named, and the President has said she will sign no appointment until the investigation is done. The board puts the end of the director’s term at 19 October, while the President and the minister say 20 October.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Suriname TAS?
Suriname TAS is the Telecommunicatie Autoriteit Suriname, the government agency set up by the Telecommunications Facilities Act of 2004. It licenses and supervises telecommunications, manages radio frequencies and phone numbers, and advises the minister.
Who does Suriname TAS regulate?
It supervises concession holders that run networks and licence holders such as radio operators and cable system owners. It also checks the prices of regulated services.
How is TAS funded?
TAS lives on concession fees, licence fees, fines and payments for work done for third parties, as listed in the law. After costs and reserves for development, the yearly surplus goes to the State.
Who appoints the director of TAS?
The President appoints the director for five years on the minister’s proposal, once the Council of Ministers has approved. A supervisory board of five to seven members, named by the minister, oversees the agency.
Why is there a dispute at TAS?
The board wants an independent investigation into TAS and says the director’s term has ended, while she disputes that the board can take over. President Jennifer Simons says she will appoint nobody new until the investigation is done, which keeps the Suriname TAS leadership question open.
Sources: Wet Telecommunicatievoorzieningen (S.B. 2004 no. 151), via the National Assembly, 11 November 2004; TAS, Over TAS, 2026; TAS, Taken, 2026; TAS, notice on Starlink, 11 October 2023; Key News Suriname, 6 September 2026; Key News Suriname, 26 August 2026; Starnieuws, 20 October 2026; Starnieuws, 20 October 2026; Starnieuws, 20 October 2026; Starnieuws, 21 October 2026; Waterkant, 22 October 2026; Suriname Herald, 21 October 2026; GFC Nieuws, 21 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
The Rio Times · Power Map
See who really holds power in Latin America
Click to open the Power Map →