“Just yesterday, there was a public announcement of a suspected cyber ring. Equipment like this helps us identify that kind of activity. It is about making sure we have our eyes and our ears out, so that our spectrum is used for what it is meant for.”
Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Madam Salima Monorma Bah, was referring to the raids announced on 27 October, when security forces working with NatCA arrested 18 people and detained about 400 in Freetown and Kenema as part of an investigation into a suspected international cybercrime network.
She made the remarks today at NatCA Tower, South Ridge, IMATT, during the official handover of Spectrum Monitoring and Quality of Service Equipment to The National Communications Authority. The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation handed over the systems to NatCA through the World Bank Group funded, Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project. The Chief Minister, and CIO, David Moinina Sengeh – PhD, gave the keynote address, joined by the World Bank group, licensed operators, civil society and the press.
Phone calls, text messages, internet services, broadcasts and digital payments all run on radio frequency spectrum. SLDTP Project Coordinator Kumba Liliana Musa compared its value to that of the country’s minerals, and with the arrival of 5G, demand for it is only growing.
NatCA’s Director of Engineering and Infrastructure, Ing. Sahr Momodu Sewa, presented the equipment unveiled at the event, a mobile spectrum monitoring system, a spectrum management system, mobile quality of service measurement equipment for drive testing, a spectrum analyser for broadcast signal analysis and electromagnetic field measurement equipment.
With the monitoring vehicle, NatCA engineers can go into the field to find interference and investigate unlicensed frequency use. Ing. Sewa explained that the system scans the airwaves to identify unlicensed users and operators working outside their authorised frequencies, and can detect signals on the international distress and safety frequencies used by pilots. The spectrum management system will handle frequency assignments, licensing and planning digitally. The drive test equipment measures coverage, internet speed and call quality on 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks, and checks how apps such as WhatsApp and YouTube perform. The analysers and field instruments will support inspections and broadcast monitoring.
The Chief Minister spoke about the link between policy and delivery for the people. He said independent quality of service monitoring strengthens NatCA’s ability to hold operators to account, and linked the investment to the Government’s commitment to radical inclusion, so that people in remote areas can also count on a reliable connection.
NatCA Director General, Amara Brewah said the measurements will allow the authority to require corrective action where networks fall short. He asked licensed operators to keep working with the authority, and said the value of the investment will depend on using the systems consistently to make better regulatory decisions.
Through SLDTP, the Ministry also supported an institutional assessment of NatCA’s structure, people, and technical skills. It provides a plan for building capacity, so that the equipment is used well and kept working long after the project ends. The Minister said the handover was part of NatCA’s 20th anniversary year, following its move into its new headquarters, and thanked the teams behind three years of work, from procurement through to delivery.
After his keynote address and the official handover, the Chief Minister toured the building, visiting the Data Centre, which houses the servers and network equipment that store and process NatCA’s data, and the control room, where engineers keep watch over the country’s airwaves and network performance as it happens.
