Camtel has long held a licence to offer mobile services, yet it has failed to do so thus far. A launch of services scheduled for the beginning of 2021, under the Blue banner, has been put on hold and is not anticipated until some time in 2022. Nevertheless, a limited fixed-wireless broadband service, under the Blue Home banner, was launched in September 2021.
The third MNO Viettel Cameroon had suffered from its own internal difficulties revolvng around a longstanding dispute between the two shareholders Viettel and Bestcam. Noting that the quality of services had fallen during the previous few years, and anxious to safeguard its XAF210 billion investment in the country, Viettel in November 2021 resumed talks with Bestcam.
For its part, the regulator has failed to progress with issuing a 5G trial licence to MTN Cameroon, despite appeals for a licence having been made since 2019.
Key developments:
New fibre link to Gabon is completed;
World Bank urges Cameroon to make better use of submarine fibre capacity;
Camtel, Sudachad Telecom, and Sudatel announce plans to build a terrestrial fibre cable connecting through Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan;
Camtel’s national roaming deal with MTN Cameroon comes into effect;
Cameroon accounting for 73% of the 1.1 billion e-payment transactions among CEMAC member countries;
Camtel becomes the fourth MNO after securing a mobile concession, but delays service launch;
Orange Cameroon expands LTE-A services;
Report update includes the regulator's market reports, telcos' operating data to Q1 2022, updated Telecom Maturity Index tables, charts and analyses, recent market developments.
