IN preparation for the 2012 World Radio Communication (WRC) conference, slated for Geneva, Switzerland, the need for African countries to measure up in terms of usage and management of spectrum has been stressed. At the first African Group Preparatory Meeting, hosted by Nigeria last weekend in Abuja, an event, which lasted for three days, the need to boost radio communications within the African continent took the centre stage, as delegates canvassed different measures to ensure this becomes a reality before year 2012. In his speech, Nigerias Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku described telecommunication as central to the growth and development of Africas economy, stressing that it remains the major means by which economies could connect and ensure transactions were carried out. Noting that Africa was still lagging behind in terms of spectrum resources, the minister urged the delegates to come up with measures that would encourage the development of telecoms sector across the continent. Telecommunication is central to progress in the region of Africa. This is evident both in socio-economic and political fields, and provide the vital medium for sharing common interests and exchange of information about our different developmental activities, he said. He added that that telecoms sector could contribute not only to the free trade and economic development but also play major role in promoting peace, security, stability and integration of the region. The minister, who expressed dissatisfaction, over what he described as late preparation, stressing that Africas preparatory meeting was holding after other regions have completed theirs, advised Africa to come up with common position ahead of the world conference in Switzerland. By acting late, we are lagging behind. It is of major concern to us if, the Arab spectrum management group (ASMP), the Asian-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunication Commission (CITEL), and the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC) have already come up with preliminary positions during the last ITU information meetings, then what is Africa waiting for. Maku who urged the continent to act fast, added that Africa needed spectrum more than any other region in the world because, Africa is almost a century more than the rest of the world. He added that if there could be efficient management of spectrum across the continent, there would be rapid development of the both human and material resources in the country. The Executive Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, in his welcome address said that the importance of Radio Frequency spectrum could not be overemphasised particularly in Africa. According to him, with Nigeria having a total of 86 million active subscribers, out of which less than 500 thousand were wireline, this trend is the same in every country in Africa and underlies why every effort should be expended to ensure that the resource receives the effective management it deserves to facilitate harmonious coexistence within and across national borders. Juwah urged the delegates to consider the interest of Africa first in their considerations, saying national considerations should be sheathed in the interest of the common good of the continent. The EVC who reminded the delegates that different regions were exploring options that better suit their requirements, urged them to come up with common position would ensure the most efficient and effective use of the space and terrestrial radio communications resources. Also speaking, the Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Yomi Bolarinwa noted that African continent was grappling with many challenges in the area of communication. Bolarinwa, noted that the challenges included problem of migrating to digital terrestrial broadcasting, regulatory issues, convergence issues as well as dependence on foreigner countries for the hardware used in the industry. The NBC boss appealed to relevant authorities in the various administrations in the continent to appreciate the need for consistency in representation. Changing representatives to every meeting makes it difficult for continuity, he said. He urged the delegates to ensure that no decision that would be taken in next years conference in Switzerland would be detrimental to Africa. To the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the importance of radio communications cannot be over emphasised in the present day telecommunications systems. According to ITU, Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) plays a vital role in the global management of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits-limited natural resources which are increasingly in demand from a large and growing number of services such as fixed, mobile, broadcasting, amateur, space research, emergency telecommunications, meteorology, global positioning systems, environmental monitoring and communication services - that ensure safety of life on land, at sea and in the skies. It also seeks ways and means to conserve spectrum and ensure flexibility for future expansion and new technological developments across the globe. Meanwhile, an engineer in the Ministry of Information and Communications, who spoke with The Guardian on condition of anonymity, noted that effective spectrum management process and radio communications involves, analysis of potential interference problems, keeping an effective data base of frequency assignments, controlling the level of manmade noise and planning for future use of spectrum. He; however, said in most cases, these are always not accomplished effectively, because of varying administrative peculiarity, adding that the ability of each nation to take fu8ll advantage of the spectrum resource depends heavily on spectrum managers facilitating the implementation of communication systems and ensuring compatibility in their operations. According to him, some of the national objectives for the use of spectrum may include, to make available rapid, efficient, nationwide and worldwide communications services for personal and business use, to foster innovation in the development of infrastructure and provision of services, to serve the national security and defense among others.
Click here to read full news..
