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By requiring operators a complete identification of their active subscribers, the Cameroonian government wants to establish the current true numbers of mobile telephony and prevent anonymous phone calls.

Jean-Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam to fight cybercrime.

By François Bambou, Yaoundé

What is the actual volume of the subscribers' data base of mobile phones in Cameroon? What weighs on the Cameroonian market? These are questions that the Cameroon Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications would find an answer. While operators are claiming a total of 7.5 million subscribers, the Ministry believes that this figure is exaggerated. Now, mobile operators and operators of public telephone networks should start identifying both their subscribers and their terminals at the point of sale for prepaid or post paid phone service open to the public.
This should lead, hopes Minister Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam, to eliminate the sale of SIM cards in a hurry, and to the systematic identification of new buyers of SIM cards. Until the end of November, each operator must collect from its customers information relating to the national identity card (or passport or residence card), the serial number of the phone, also called International Identity of mobile equipment (IMEI), including 4x4 pictures and details of residence of the subscriber. Regarding legal persons, they need to provide the instrument evidencing the legal existence of the company, location map and photos of the guarantor. Because of the enthusiasm of the people and the harsh competition among the operators, the latter came to sell the chips at auction or even in bulk.

Fight against crime

Beyond these economic considerations, the Cameroonian government, which has involved police forces for this operation, also intends to fight against crime by limiting the use of anonymous phone crime. It denounces the fact that some robbers and swindlers use mobile phones to commit crimes such as threats, scams, blackmail, insults, false accusations, fraud, slander, attacks, terrorism, and cybercrime, among many others.

"This is an unacceptable situation", protests Etitane Belinga, head of the Regulations of the Ministry of PTT. "There are cases of fraud that are reported. Blackmail and acts of terrorism can be perpetrated using mobile phones. Cars may be stolen with the mobile phone. The specialists of the Criminal Police can tell you more. Everywhere in the world to buy a chip, you need to be identified. This must be the same in Cameroon. It is a safety issue, and for that SIM cards should not be sold at auction."

The big concern for the public opinion is whether the information collected will be used to violate trade secrets or to record the calls. In this regard, the project initiators offer their reassurance regarding the confidentiality of information collected, arguing that the Cameroonian Act severely punishes any operator who is guilty of disclosure, publication or use of such information for other purposes. An explanation which is not totally reassuring, since it is already assumed that, for the purposes of struggle against crime, the police will have access to the data collected.

Laxity from the regulator

According to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, this operation should have been done long time ago by the agency regulating the telecommunications sector. "The Ministry has questioned the regulator on the situation to remind it that it was its duty to ask operators to report. The department waited in vain for its reaction. It was not heard of a meeting that was convened with the operators in order to enforce the legislation."

This criticism from the supervisory ministry joined a sentiment already expressed by consumer groups, denouncing a certain laxity on the part of the regulator, given the sharp deterioration in the quality of service provided by operators, with costs still high, compared those prevailing in other countries of the continent by the same operators.

This should lead, hopes Minister Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam, to eliminate the illegal sale of SIM cards in a hurry, and the systematic identification of new buyers of SIM cards.

After this identification process, warns Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, several laws will be adopted to strengthen the sector regulator. Biyiti Bi Essam announcement and the forthcoming publication of a law on cybercrime and cyber security, and, secondly, a draft law governing electronic communications.