The Inquirer (Monrovia)
24 April 2008
The Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) has called on the general public, especially those who are subscribers of mobile telephone service providers to be prepared for fundamental changes in the telecommunications sector as the LTA implements the government's telecom sector reform policy.
This statement has its basis in the brewing conflict between the regulator and GSM service providers which seem to be resisting the LTA's statutory mandate to regulate the Liberia telecom sector.
At a well attended press conference in Monrovia Tuesday, the LTA particularly called on subscribers to take interest in the current development as the LTA is keen to take the necessary measures against those entities that have chosen to pose challenge to the authority of the nascent regulator.
In order to continue implementing the government's policy and efficiently deal with the deficiencies that continue to undermine sector reform, LTA has relied on relevant provisions of the Telecom Law to undertake the process of standardizing existing licenses and harmonizing frequencies that had been haphazardly given out to the four mobile phone operators in previous dispensations-leading to a great deal of confusion.
The idea of the standardization is to create a level playing field for all operators, old as well as new, and to maximize the benefits of the sector for the country and people. The LTA had rightly argued that the law left it to the discretion of the LTA to determine the form and manner of the standardization process.
Toward this end, the LTA has been engaged in consultations with key stakeholders, including the four GSM service providers and have since issued appropriate sets of regulations to guide particularly the licensing issue consistent with the telecom law and industry norms and practices, the LTA press statement said.
In the face of these best efforts on the part of the LTA, all four GSM operators seem to be bent on obstructing the activities of the regulator and by extension the government's telecom sector reform program due to what an LTA insider called greed and lack of discipline on the part of the four GSM mobile operators.
These operators have long been benefiting hugely from using the country's spectrum, which is a natural resource, but have remitted very limited amounts to the government in contrast to what happens in other countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Guinea and Sierra Leone where telecommunications regulation is also inchoate.
The LTA, by its press statement, seems determined to carry out its responsibility of reforming the otherwise chaotic and lopsided telecom sector irrespective of the four mobile telephone service providers' defiance and irrational posture.
Sources close to the LTA, say the LTA commission is perturbed by such difficult-to-deal-with attitude of the GSM service providers and would stop at nothing until success is achieved in the government's sector reform initiative.
According to the same sources, the LTA commission will not hesitate to shut the operations of any non compliant service provider following the May 7, 2008 deadline to comply with its licensing standardization and frequency harmonization process.
Observers view the current standoff between the LTA and service providers as the LTA's fight for survival. They believe this situation will make or break the LTA. A source close to the Commission say, all the commissioners are very disappointed at the uncooperative attitude of the four GSM companies, and have vowed to ensure that the GSM providers comply or opt out of the market.
The source quoted LTA officials as saying that "The LTA and telecommunications sector reform in Liberia will be effectively render irrelevant and the telecom law practically nonexistent, if the service providers were allowed to maintain their rebellious posture and prevail in their groundless argument that because they possess so called 'valid licenses' they would not submit to the LTA's standardization process."
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