Analysis of Barclays Bank Essay

IntroductionThe process of restructuring the telecom arena truly got under way in Cameroon in June 1995, when the authorities decided thoroughly to reform network industry celestial spheres such as water, electricity and telecoms with a view to creating a favourable environment in which to develop their infrastructure and operate and thus to take increasingly exigent demand. The process took the form of liberalization, submit withdrawal from the sectors concerned and the establishment of a securities industry structure enabling Cameroon to remain in step with the especi aloney speedy global developments in the telecom sector indeed, in spite of the investments made, the c everyplaceage rate and quality of service offered had remained largely inadequate. The process was carried verboten not completely by defining the conditions and mechanisms liable to guarantee the sectors opening to private initiative, hardly also by enacting regulations and taking measures intended to e nable the sector to play the decisive employment incumbent on it in Cameroons scotch development.Telecommunication sector reform in Cameroon is not limited to the establishment of advanced regulations and legislation, to the revision of the institutional framework and the establishment of an interconnection regime or to the introduction of aspiration. It should also comprise bringing behaviour in line with the times. One of our chief concerns is accordingly also effective application of the regulations with a view to fulfilling the universal service obligation, ensuring consumer protection and providing for effective and grab regulation of true competition. The acquisition of the required know-how is the biggest challenge we face. The institutional players on Cameroons telecoms scene are, as in many other African countries, of the opinion that any society that delays in jumping on the NTIC train will remain mired in a state of underdevelopment.Observations BackgroundBefore 19 90, as in most African countries, telecom services were managed by a national worldly-owned monopoly. The administration in charge of telecommunications habilitate the rules, ensured they were applied and was itself an wheeler dealer. The results did not always live up to expectations. In June 1990, the President of the res publica signed the order on the programme to privatize public and semi-public enterprises. The telecommunication sector was added to the programme in June 1995. In July 1998, law 98/014 governing telecommunications in Cameroon (the Telecommunications Act) was promulgated.It established the Telecommunication Regulatory Agency and attributed sector responsibilities to a variety of players the operating theater oftelecommunication networks to operators, restrictive matters, i.e. application of the rules and supervision of operators, to a regulative body, the description of sector policy and the enactment of market regulations to the telecommunication admini stration. In September of the same year, two public enterprises, CAMTEL for the fixed knell service and CAMTEL MOBILE for the mobile telephone service, were set up to take over the telecommunication activities of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and of the public enterprise INTELCAM, which was in charge of operating and developing international telecommunication installations.The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency was set up at thesame time. Immediately after, the sale of a mobile telephone licence and the process of privatizing CAMTEL and CAMTEL MOBILE got under way. In June 1999, a mobile telephone licence was granted to a private enterprise. The privatization of CAMTEL MOBILE was completed in February 2000. The privatization of CAMTEL is not yet complete. A third mobile telephone licence is to be issued. In less than two years, the sector has undergone sweep change. Suffice it to mention one indicator in January 2000 t here was one mobile telephone operator with abo ut 5 000 subscribers on 31 March 2001 there were two operators with over 140 000 subscribers. This rapid and in-depth transformation is taking place within a constantly improving legal framework.IIA liberal legal frameworkThe development of new technologies and liberalization have permitted access to new telecommunication services which, depending on their specific natures, require appropriate regulation. The Telecommunications Act sets forth a new restrictive framework, opening the telecommunication sector to competition. The framework, which distinguishes between public and private networks, renders for three legal arrangements concessions, authorizationsand solvings.1ConcessionsThe State can grant one or several public or private corporate bodies all or part of its rights to establish and/or operate telecommunication networks. The concession is humble to strict conformism with the requirements set forth in a list of terms and conditions. This arrangement allows the State not only to keep a watchful eye on the harmonious development of modern telecommunication infrastructure, but also and above all to heighten its control over the development and supply of the canonic services and facilities us ually demanded by the majority of users.2AuthorizationsThe arrangement of prior authorization applies to the establishment and/or operation of telecommunication networks by physical persons or corporate bodies with a view to providing the public with a basic telecommunication service, a value-added service, a bearer service or any other service by using one or several radio frequencies. A list of terms and conditions containing the requirements to be met is inclined to the licence issued to the bearer of a prior authorization. The authorization is issued for a fixed period and can be withdrawn under certain circumstances.3DeclarationsDeclarations apply to the establishment of private internal networks, low-range and low-capacity private self-employed person ne tworks (that are not radio networks), low-range and low-capacity radio installations (to be determinedby the Administration), and the provision to the public of telecommunication services other than those subject to the arrangements of concession and authorization. Telecommunication terminal equipment is either freely provided or subject to type-approval.Certain provisions of the Telecommunications Act are detailed in codes and implementing legislation. We shall not examine all of them here indeed, some of them are still being drafted. The reform in Cameroon established the separation between the regulatory and operating functions. It works in favour of operators being entities controlled by private capital. The general framework for competition is governed by legislation on competition. The legal framework is supplemented by institutions.III 1A rewrite institutional framework The telecommunication administrationSpectrum anxiety and the legislation and regulations relating to tel ecommunications are the exclusive domain of the State. The telecommunication administration has been invested, on behalf of the government, with general jurisdiction over the sector. It sets the general regulatory framework. It therefore establishes and implements telecommunication sector policy, whose aim must be to safeguard the missions of public service, to promote harmonious network development end-to-end the national territory and effective private sector participation in the sectors wealth and employment-generating activities, and to ensure compliance by all operators with the applicable treaties, laws and regulations.In addition, the administration supervises the telecommunication sector, oversees public telecommunication enterprises, re displays the State at international telecommunication-related shapings and events, and manages the radio spectrum on behalf of the State. The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency, which technically answers to the telecommunication administr ation, is the specialize body in charge offacilitating actual application of the regulations issued.2The Telecommunication Regulatory AgencyThe organization of the Telecommunication Regulatory Agency established by the Telecommunications Act is set forth in decree No. 98/197 of 8 September 1998. The Agency has three main duties to ensure the regulations are apply to guarantee respect for the regulations and the exercise of competition to settle certain disputes between operators. The Agencys regulatory authority is subject to performance of the following activities definition of the principles governing tariffs for services examination of requests for authorization and declaration and of type-approval files for terminal equipment to be connected to public networks establishment of principles for calculating interconnection costs establishment and management of numbering plans management of the frequencies attributed to telecommunications submission to the government of pr oposals aimed at developing and modernizing the sector opinions on draft legislative and regulatory texts concerning telecommunicationscontrol and penalties for infractions.The Agency is specifically competent to settle disputes concerning interconnection, access to a public network, numbering, courtships of bad interference, and sharing of infrastructure. The Telecommunications Act provides the Agency with a quasi-judicial body and an arbitration procedure can be set in motion should one or the other of the parties be opposed. The parties remain free to bring their case before the competent court.IVHuman resourcesHuman resources are the key to management and progress, for they have knowledge, that rarest of economic commodities in the 21st century. The current transition from a monopoly environment to that of controlled competition has given rise to new demands in terms of basic knowledge and know- how in telecommunication regulation. Telecommunication leaders and staff in Camer oon were still dealing with the transition from analogue to digital when circuit switching was suddenly replaced by mailboat switching. This recent change has reshaped the concept and definition of telecommunication networks and services. Everything must therefore be done to doctor sure the human resources acquire the skills they need for their own development and that of companies, which create wealth for the well-being of peoples.The Ecole Nationale consumerieure des Postes et Tlcommunications, an independent facility run by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, provides basic education in telecommunications and ICT to technicians (technical and operating staff), supervising technicians (operating technicians and supervisors) and senior technical managers (works engineers and operating inspectors). It plans to organize standing professional authentication for the staff of public and private enterprises and of the public administrations in charge of telecommunications an d ICT.VInternational cooperationCameroon has always been present and active in regional and international telecommunication organizations. It is a member of the Administrative Councils of both the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It has had very few bilateral exchanges of experience and information with other African countries. The ineffectiveness of regional (ATU) and subregional organizations (CAPTAC) has precluded the launch at subregional level of cooperation activities aimed at developing telecommunications in Cameroon. At the international level, ITUhas not been closely involved in telecommunication sector reform.In the ancient eight years, it has provided some technical assistance but otherwise almost no support for telecommunication development projects in Cameroon, possibly because the Area Office in Yaound is not functioning. The capacities of the Area Office in Yaound should be reinforced. Its main duties should b e To disseminate ITU documents and information in the area. For this, it should have the means required to provide the documentation centres of the main players in each of the areas countries with the documents and books needed to acquire knowledge in telecommunications and ICT, for most of the sectors African managers will have to teach themselves. In this respect, hard as opposed to electronic copies remain invaluable in Africa.