A third campaign to organise operators in the sector ends on May 16. A campaign to restructure and better manage operators in the cable TV distribution sector in the country is currently taking place throughout the national territory. Organised by the Ministry of Communication (MINCOM), the census which is holding for the third time, is aimed at cleaning the mess that is presently wearing down cable distribution activities in Cameroon while updating the database of distributors.

The Director of Communication Engineering at the Ministry of Communication, Didier Kaba Aliguen reiterated that a parabolic dish, a decoder and a few metres of cable are not sufficient to distribute images. Those who want to distribute TV images in the country, he said, must obtain a licence from the Ministry of Communication after fulfilling certain conditions as stipulated by the laws in force.

Just like with other spontaneous activities, Didier Kaba noted that the fundamental rights of many national and international social actors in the cable distribution sector are trampled upon. That is why the Director of Communication Engineering underscored that the current census involves everybody in the cable TV sector in Cameroon. This includes, amongst others, Canal +, TV+, Creolink communication and the over 500 small distributors who are those greatly known to create disorder in the sector.

Besides updating the database of cable TV operators in the country, the census will also help the Ministry of Communication to know the exact network coverage of each operator as well as to identify those who have the required documents to obtain a licence.

Within the backdrop of the census, operators in the sector need to visit the Department of Communication Engineering at the Ministry of Communication to fill forms which, amongst other questions, will help the ministry identify the actors in the network, the size of their network (the different towns where they operate), the number of customers they have as well as the price of their services.

The outcome of this census, according to experts from the Ministry of Communication, is also aimed at bringing operators in the sector together and ensure that they offer best quality of service and signals to clients while respecting the moral standards in the society. The cable TV sector in Cameroon is evolving and getting bigger. This is why such a census is taking place to sensitise actors. Those who will not abide by the law will be considered as illegal and might have their materials impounded.

By Brenda Y. Nchewnang-Ngassa