Mobile Telephone : Regulator, Operators Agree To Respect Rules

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, chaired the Sixth Post and Telecommunications Public-Private Stakeholders’ Meeting. The video conference came in the wake of unease in relations between the Telecommunications Regulation Agency, ART and mobile phone operators. 
For example, ART’s sanctions have been contested and even rejected in the past by operators. The regulator found itself unable to enforce its decisions because the law did not permit it. Thus, the Minister used the meeting to bring the two sides to an understanding for the State to play its role as “regulator and facilitator of telecommunications.”
Minette Libom Li Likeng said with the recent decision granting ART more regulatory powers, the agency is better equipped technically and staff-wise to play its role. “The meeting was meant to ensure that telephone operators carry out their work according to the law. The telecommunications sector is evolving so fast that regulation has been lagging behind,” the Minister noted. 
She said though some Cameroonians complain of the high cost of mobile telephone services, the reality is that Cameroon offers the cheapest telephone services in the Central African sub-region; as compared to countries like Senegal, Kenya and Ghana. “Nevertheless,” she promised, “we are working to bring down the cost.” According to her, the probl...