Sierra Leone telecom regulator eyes increase in charges

Sierra Leone's National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) announced in a press release Tuesday that it will issue regulations on industry consultation after a public hearing with all stakeholders.

The regulatory process will include the review of existing license agreements and the development of guidelines relating to licensing, tariff regulations, interconnection issues, competition issues, dispute resolution, and universal access for ISPs (Internet service providers) and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) operators.

"Our new Commission is tentatively reviewing the charges and fees for government's scarce resources, and will introduce new charges and fees for numbering and point microwave links in line with the ITU [International Telecommunication Union] guidelines and the best practice globally," said NATCOM Chairman Siray A. Timbo at the regulator's July 3 inaugural meeting with ISPs and GSM operators.

On the commission's part, he said, there is great concern over the lack of cooperation of operators in conforming to the provisions of the act, especially where it relates to tariff regulation, data collection, providing the commission with copies of interconnect agreements and the submission of financial records.

Timbo went on to decry the proliferation of masts and towers throughout the country, despite their health hazards; the underutilization of scarce resources, such as national destination code numbers and frequency spectrum bands; the low fees charged by NATCOM in comparison to other countries in the region; and the lack of clarity in tariff publication and consumer education.

NATCOM said the review is part of the commission's bid to regularize the existing licensing regime and address other regulatory issues to conform to the Economic Community Of West African States Supplementary Acts and the 2006 Telecoms Act provision.

Tuesday's release, however, stated that license fees and other regulatory charges for 2008 are only temporary and subject to review at the end of the year, at which time the commission will benefit from extensive market research and consultancy services by an ITU expert. Therefore, any regulatory changes may not take place until 2009.