By NOELA EBOB BISONG
Following the initiative of Fréderic Debord, CEO of Orange Cameroun and Moïse Bayi, CEO of Nexttel, the Association of Mobile Concession Operators in Cameroon (AOCTM) has been created, headed by the orange Cameroun CEO, Fréderic Debord .
According to him “The creation of this association is going in the right direction; it will provide more channels of exchange and sharing between telecom operators, regulator and supervisory administration”, explained Fréderic Debord, president of AOCTM.
As main objectives, this new organization intends to promote the development of electronic communications and mobile phone operators in Cameroon, undertake all appropriate actions to protect the collective interests of its members, including through the administrative or judicial proceedings.
The statutes of the AOCMT indicate that the association is open to all operators signing a mobile telephony concession agreement with the State of Cameroon and declared as such to the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART). Those already eligible include Orange, Nexttel and MTN.
Though not stated, the grouping of mobile phone companies in Cameroon within a single association is more like a union to establish a balance of power on the one hand, as well as to better access the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications on the other hand.
Solidarity is henceforth expected between operators of the sector in case of sanctions or recriminations of state actors in the field of mobile telephony in Cameroon.