Mozambique's communications regulator Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (INCM) has installed its Integrated Radio Spectrum Management and Monitoring System (SIGMER) in a fourth province, almost a year after it announced plans for a nationwide rollout of the system.

The governor of Sofala province, Maria Helena Taipo, along with officials from the INCM, attended a system unveiling ceremony at Mateus Sansão Muthemba Secondary School where the antenna is installed.

SIGMER was first implemented in August 2016 and rolled out in Tete, Nampula and Zambézia provinces.

Ema Chicoco, Chairman of the Board at INCM emphasised the need for further implementation. "The opportunities that the use of the spectrum creates for the development of society have led, in recent times, to a growing use of radio communications, (making) the need for the country to be equipped with an effective integrated management system."

SIGMER consists of a fixed antenna and a mobile station. It is intended to manage radio spectrum, combat abuse as well as detect illegal and prohibited communications and equipment.

"With its intervention, the INCM intends to improve the quality of communications in- and between services, to discourage illegal use of spectrum and to act as a driver of the economy and development of different sectors," Chicoco added.

According to the INCM, the country is home to seven postal service operators, one fixed telephony operator, three cellular mobile network operators, seven data transmission and internet services, twenty-three radio stations and nine television stations – all of which use spectrum.

Poor use of spectrum

Mozambique's continued roll out of SIGMER comes weeks after Kezias Mwale, Radio Communications Coordinator for the Africa Telecommunications Union (ATU) lamented poor use of the spectrum available to Africa for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) systems.

IMT systems are comprised of technologies and architectures designed to support the evolution of mobile broadband to improve on spectrum efficiency and utilisation.

"In most countries, the underpinning reason is (the) lack of an optimum enabling environment for more robust investment by the operators. You understand that enabling environment is complex: taxation issues, capital markets, legal and regulatory, social-economic developmental levels, demographics for example literacy levels etc.,"

During his address at the 2017 Regional Radiocommunication Seminar 2017 for Africa, hosted in Senegal, Mwale urged regulators to intrinsically carry out their duties as if it were a 'for-profit-business' in terms of strategy formulation, tactical approaches and overall operational efficiencies and effectiveness.