The NEWS (Monrovia)
15 May 2008
Monrovia — Progress has been made in discussions between the Liberia Telecommunication Authority and the for GSM cellular phone companies in respect of the standardization and licensing of the latter.
Disclosing this in an exclusive interview with The News, LTA Commissioner Lamini Waritay said some of the contentious issues regarding structuring and wording of the standardization forms that were rejected by the GSM companies have been resolved.
He said LTA exhibited a high level of flexibility by considering some of the points raised by the GSM companies during discussions facilitated by the Economic Advisor to the President, Mr. Morris Saytumah last Friday.
The LTA Commissioner observed that regulatory exercises are characterized by consultations especially where a major stakeholder like the Government of Liberia feels that the situation had reached a point where it could use its influence of the GSM companies to cooperate with the LTA, is not a bad thing.
"In spite of the Executive's mediatory role, the LTA remains in the driver's seat consistent with its statutory responsibility in keeping with the Telecommunications Law of 2007, so there is no question of LTA abrogating its responsibility to anyone," Professor Waritay noted.
However, he said that the LTA hopes that this will not be a standard practice, and indicated that the facilitation of the President's Office through Mr. Saytumah should not be construed that the responsibility of the LTA has been usurped by the Executive, adding "this was also made clear to the GSM companies and their lawyers that the Executive has not taken over the function of the LTA."
Prof. Waritay further disclosed that as a result of last Friday's meeting between the LTA and the four GSM companies, they reached an understanding wherein the companies agreed and have filled the forms and paid US$60,000 each as standardization fees.
"We accepted the reduction from US$100,000 to US$60,000 considering that they will have to pay for frequency fees in the amount of US$50,000 each. The standardization fees would enable LTA to validate information about the companies internally and externally," Prof. Waritay divulged.
He said the LTA has already issued the draft license to the GSM companies and that during another meeting this Friday the companies and their lawyers are expected to give the response.
Prof. Waritay who could not readily say how much each GSM company would be required to pay as license fees, indicated that collectively the four GSM companies have about 800,000 subscribers out of a population of about 3.075 million, and based on their revenue and expenditure, the LTA was opting for a fair share for the Liberian Government and people.
"We hope to put this entire thing behind us in the next week or two to enable us engage ourselves into other areas of regulation and licensing," he added.
For almost two weeks now there has been lot of hullabaloo between the LTA and the four GSM companies over the issue of standardization and licensing.
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