A sensitisation seminar by TRB kicked-off in the port city recently.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Board, TRB, has once again put the interest of spectrum users at heart through a four-day sensitisation workshop on how to apply regulatory procedures for the use of radio frequencies. Since the TRB has been managing the spectrum since 1999, the Technical Adviser N°3, François Kamgam, said after a similar seminar organised last year in Yaounde, there was the need to organise yet another sensitisation seminar in Douala.

To him, the workshop was an occasion for the over 80 participants from the Littoral, North West, South West and West Regions to evaluate TRB’s management and suggest a way forward to improve service. TRB has registered many complaints from subscribers on registration formalities, delay in allocating frequencies, high subscription cost and frequency clash.

The regulatory board has addressed some of the problems while the unsolved ones constitute a speed brake to the development of the sector in Cameroon. According to Raymond Ayene, Sub-Director in charge of Administrative Frequency Management, many users do not observe the rules and regulations governing the sector.

“Since some advanced countries allocate some frequencies free of charge, Cameroonians think they too should have it for free, which is not possible. Since we don’t have many industries like developed countries, we are obliged to institute a reasonable fare. Those using frequencies illegally might face the arm of law either through paying fines between FCFA 5 million and FCFA 250 million or serve a jail term between one year and five years,” he explained. To operate in electronic communication sector, a subscriber must obtain authorisation, own good equipment, and have experienced engineers and technicians.