Country profile: Cameroon
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Cameroon is a market that has experienced challenges both on the fixed line and wireless side of connectivity.
The country’s average terrestrial internet speeds are the slowest in Africa and among the slowest in the world. As well as lack of investment, part of the reason for lack of coverage is power availability - loadshedding is a particular issue in Cameroon, as hydroelectric dam reliance combined with an extensive dry season means that seasonal availability of power for telecoms networks fluctuates a lot.
However, late 2024 and early 2025 has seen announcement of various investment plans for the country - MTN Group’s president Ralph Mutita visited Cameroon in 2024 to announce investment of $100 million in 2025 and $300 million by 2027 in network infrastructure improvements.
State-owned monopoly operator Camtel – which has thus far resisted numerous attempts to privatise it – is also getting in on the act. Its 2025 budget includes over $500 million earmarked for network upgrades, including extending the existing 12,000 km fibre-optic backbone network to up to 22,000 km, as well as 5G pilots for Yaoundé, new towers and antennas to boost mobile coverage, and improvements to rollouts in rural areas.
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