Cameroon - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Cameroon - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband - Statistics and Analyses

Cameroon set for further competition in m-money services

The ICT sector in Cameroon contributes only about 3.5% of GDP, which is low for the region. The sector requires considerable development for the country to make better use of the digital economy. The Commonwealth has been active in supporting e-commerce, and about 95% of all electronic transactions are carried through the m-money services operated by MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon. The government has also been supportive, having launched its Cameroon Digital 2020' program, aimed at improving connectivity nationally. A large number of small ICT projects form part of the overall program. By September 2018 the country is expected to be connected to the SAIL submarine cable, providing a direct link to Brazil and with onward connectivity to other countries in the Americas. The cable will substantially improve international bandwidth and lead to further reductions in access prices for consumers.

Cameroon was for many years one of the few countries in Africa with only two competing mobile operators. After some delays, Nextell Cameroon (majority-owned by Viettel) launched a third network in late 2014, including the country's first 3G mobile service. The operator has grown rapidly, signing up more than 4.2 million subscribers by the end of 2017. LTE services have also developed strongly, with Orange Cameroon securing revised concessions to its existing 3G licence to enable it to launch LTE services and so compete more effectively with MTN. These developments were the catalyst for a fast-developing mobile broadband sector. The investment programs among operators over the next few years will considerably boost mobile broadband services in rural areas of the country, many of which are underserved by fixed-line infrastructure.

Further development is quickening in mobile banking and commerce, with Nextell expected to launch its own m-money service by late 2018.

Key developments:

Cable laying for the SAIL cable system to Brazil gets underway;
Telecom revenue falls 0.5% in 2016, year-on-year;
Orange Cameroon launches LTE services using revised licence concession;
Nextell Cameroon to launch m-money service by late 2018;
Vodafone Cameroon closes operations after losing licence; MNOs fined for SIM card registration failures;
YooMe Mobile launches LTE offers as an MVNO;
Camtel handed newly built fibre loops in Douala and Yaounde;
MTN launches mobile health platform; further delays in MNP launch;
National fibre rollout continues with new funding;
Report update includes regulator's market report for 2016, telcos' operating data to Q1 2018, Telecom Maturity Index tables, charts and analyses, recent market developments

Companies mentioned in this report:

MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroon, Camtel, Cameroon Mobile Telecommunications (CMT), Pastel, CamNet, MTN Network Solutions, Matrix Telecoms, Ringo, Nextell Cameroon (Viettel), YooMee.