The National Communications Authority (NCA) and it Ivorian counterpart, the Agence Ivoirienne de Gestion des Frequences radioelectriques (AIGF) are taking steps to address network interference along the borders of the two countries, to ensure people living along the borders get better communication experience.
A statement from the NCA said “Both NCA and AIGF had received various complaints from consumers about network interferences when consumers access communications services.”
The two agencies therefore carried out separate fact finding monitoring exercises along their respective borders and have since held a three-day bilateral coordination meeting in Abidjan to discuss results of the studies.
The meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the telcos in both countries, discussed observations made after the monitoring exercise and agreed on new parameters, the coordinates as well as the zones to be monitored among others and the enforcement of compliance by the two parties after bilateral agreements have been
signed.
Deputy Director at the Regulatory Administration Division at the, Isaac Kofi Boateng, who led Ghana’s delegation mentioned that as members of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire consider such bilateral discussions to be essential in relation to the management of frequencies, spectrum and radio bands in ensuring that consumers can access communication services without interferences in both countries.
He noted that the advancement in technology, expansion of settlements, and economic
activities along the two borders, have necessitated an upgrade of the previous draft agreement and discussions, which have been ongoing for the past ten (10) years between
the two countries.
According to him, the parameters outlined in the previous agreement were not fit for the purpose in current times, adding that the essential objective of the meeting was, therefore, to enable the two countries to have an extensive agreement going forward, by reviewing the 2010 parameters vis-a-vis the recent measurements taken by the two countries in May/June, this year in respect of the coordination zones and penetration levels at each side of the border.
Mr. Boateng further stated that the meeting served as a kick-off to fashion out an
agreement, which would be formally signed at a subsequent meeting, adding that the
signed copies would be submitted to the ITU in fulfilment of the border coordination regulations.
On his part, the Director General of the AIGF, Dr. Yacouba Coulibaly assured the meeting of his firm commitment to support the efforts of telcos to respect the technical parameters outlined in the coordination agreement in order to mitigate unintended interference at the borders.
He added that it was important to have such an agreement, especially when the two
countries share about 668km of territory along the border and further indicated that the
coordination of frequencies is of paramount necessity to ensure quality of services to the
populations living in the border areas and commuters who access the area for economic
purposes.
The three days bilateral coordination meeting ended with a presentation of the draft methodology for measuring the penetration rates of network signals from Mobile Telephony
Operators of Neighbouring Country in the border area between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The agreement would be signed at the next meeting after the two Administration have accented to it. A proposed Cooperation Agreement in relation to the exchange of information and capacity building, among other things, between AIGF and the NCA was also presented for review by the two Administrations and signing at the next meeting.
