Analysis of Barclays Bank Essay

IntroductionThe process of restructuring the telecom vault of heaven truly got under way in Cameroon in June 1995, when the regime decided thoroughly to remedy network industry arenas such as water, electricity and telecoms with a view to creating a favourable environs in which to develop their infrastructure and services and thus to satisfy increasingly insistent demand. The process took the form of liberalization, State withdrawal from the sectors concerned and the establishment of amarket structure enabling Cameroon to remain in step with the particularly rapid global informations in the telecom sector indeed, in break of the investments made, the c all overage rate and quality of service offered had remained largely inadequate. The process was carried verboten not only by defining the conditions and mechanisms liable to guarantee the sectors opening to semi personal initiative, only in any case by enacting regulations and taking mea reliables intended to enable the sector to play the decisive role incumbent on it in Cameroons economic development.telecommunication sector reform in Cameroon is not limited to the establishment of unused regulations and legislation, to the revision of the institutional framework and the establishment of an interconnection regime or to the introduction of competition. It should also comprise bringing behaviour in line with the times. One of our psyche concerns is therefore also effective application of the regulations with a view to fulfilling the global service obligation, ensuring consumer protection and providing for effective and appropriate regulation of true competition. The achievement of the required know-how is the biggest ch every(prenominal)enge we face. The institutional players on Cameroons telecommunications scene are, as in many early(a) Afri tail end countries, of the opinion that any party that delays in jumping on the NTIC train will remain mired in a state of underdevelopment.Observat ions BackgroundBefore 1990, as in most African countries, telecommunication services were managed by a subject publicly-owned monopoly. The administration in forethought of telecommunications set the rules, ensured they were applied and was itself an operator. The results did not of all time live up to expectations. In June 1990, the President of the Republic signed the raise on the political program to privatize public and semi-public enterprises. The telecommunication sector was added to the programme in June 1995. In July 1998, law 98/014 presidency telecommunications in Cameroon (the Telecommunications Act) was promulgated.It ceremonious the Telecommunication regulative mental representation and attributed sector responsibilities to a variety of players the doing oftelecommunication networks to operators, regulative matters, i.e. application of the rules and supervision of operators, to a regulatory body, the explanation of sector policy and the enactment of market re gulations to the telecommunication administration. In family of the same year, two public enterprises, CAMTEL for the fixed reverberate service and CAMTEL smooth for the planetary sound 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 operational and maturation international telecommunication installations.The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency was set up at thesame time. Immediately after, the sale of a mobile telephvirtuoso licence and the process of privatizing CAMTEL and CAMTEL MOBILE got under way. In June 1999, a mobile teleph unmatchable licence was granted to a private enterprise. The privatization of CAMTEL MOBILE was sinless 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 sweeping change. Suffice it to mention one indicator in January 2000 there was one mobile telephone operator with about 5 000 subscribers on 31 March 2001 there were two operators with over 140 000 subscribers. This rapid and in-depth fault is taking place within a constantly improving lawful framework.IIA liberal levelheaded frameworkThe development of unseasoned technologies and liberalization own permitted access to new telecommunication services which, depending on their specific natures, require appropriate regulation. The Telecommunications Act sets frontwards a new regulatory framework, opening the telecommunication sector to competition. The framework, which distinguishes between public and private networks, provides for three legal arrangements grants, authorizationsand declarations.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 subject to strict compliance with the requirements set for th in a list of terms and conditions. This arrangement allows the State not only to salvage a watchful eye on the harmonious development of recent telecommunication infrastructure, but also and above all to heighten its engage over the development and supply of the rudimentary services and facilities us ually demanded by the majority of users.2AuthorizationsThe arrangement of introductory 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 new(prenominal) service by using one or several radio frequencies. A list of terms and conditions containing the requirements to be met is attached to the licence issued to the bearer of a prior authorization. The authorization is issued for a fixed period and can be pull back under certain circumstances.3DeclarationsDeclarations apply to the establishment of private versed networks, low-range and low-capacity private independent networks (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 decrees and implementing legislation. We shall not examine all of them here indeed, some of them are heretofore 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 revised institutional framework The tel ecommunication administrationSpectrum steering and the legislation and regulations relating to telecommunications are the easy lay 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 throughout the national territory and effective private sector companionship in the sectors riches 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, represents the State at international telecommunication-related organizations and events, and manages the radio spectrum on behalf of the Stat e. The Telecommunication Regulatory Agency, which technically answers to the telecommunication administration, is the specialized body in charge offacilitating existing 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 implemented to guarantee wish 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 attached to public networks establishment of principles for calculating interconnection costs establishment and management of number ing plans management of the frequencies attributed to telecommunications submission to the government of proposals aimed at developing and modernizing the sector opinions on draft legislative and regulatory texts concerning telecommunicationscontrol and penalties for infractions.The Agency is specifically able to settle disputes concerning interconnection, access to a public network, numbering, cases of harmful interference, and manduction 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 b asic knowledge and know- how in telecommunication regulation. Telecommunication leaders and staff in Cameroon were still dealing with the transition from analogue to digital when circuit transposition was suddenly replaced by packet switching. This recent change has reshaped the concept and definition of telecommunication networks and services. Everything must therefore be done to make 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 Suprieure des Postes et Tlcommunications, an independent celerity run by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, provides basic instruction 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 passe-partout certification for the staff of public and private enterprises and of the public administrations in charge of telecommunications and 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 hardly a(prenominal) 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 past eight years, it has provided some technical assistance but otherwise almost no support for telecommunication development projects in Cameroon, possibly because the Area state of affairs in Yaound is not functioning. The capacities of the Area Office in Yaound should be reinforced. Its main duties should be 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 get word themselves. In this respect, hard as opposed to electronic copies remain valuable in Africa.