Sierra Leone sets up spectrum committee

Sierra Leone Minister of Information and Communications Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo has established a spectrum committee under the National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM).

According to a communiqué issued by NATCOM Tuesday, the committee was set up "to ensure that NATCOM's policy-making, regulatory and enforcement structures have the capacity to perform their respective functions comprehensively, fairly and to formulate, review policy and its implementation accordingly."

Committee members, as appointed by the minister, include NATCOM Chairman Siray Timbo, two NATCOM commissioners, the permanent secretary and acting director of communications at the Information Ministry, an Independent Media Commission commissioner and NATCOM executive secretary Bash Kamara serving as the spectrum committee's secretary.

The communiqué stated that after deliberations, the committee resolved to urgently formulate strategies and policies for the national spectrum; review the national frequency assignment of available electromagnetic spectrum for GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), ISPs (Internet service providers), and radio and television service providers; and develop and deploy an efficient spectrum management system.

It was the committee's first meeting, Kamara revealed in an interview. Though he did not specify the frequency of subsequent meetings, he noted that committee members "will continue to meet on a regular basis."