Strengthening Telecom Infrastructure and Governance for Quality Internet in Cameroon

By Dr Atangana Stéphane

Executive Summary

Cameroon’s digital economy is constrained by expensive and unreliable internet. Mobile data costs are around two to three times higher than in some African peers, while fixed broadband speeds are more than five times slower than in countries such as Ghana. Poor quality connectivity limits productivity, raises business costs and undermines efforts to build a modern digital economy.

This brief argues that the core problem is weak governance, maintenance and investment incentives in the national fibre backbone and in the telecom sector as a whole. It proposes a set of priority reforms to restructure Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel), strengthen pro-competitive regulation and ensure that internet becomes both affordable and widely accessible.

Headline recommendations

• Restructure Camtel into a neutral and efficient infrastructure company (InfraCo), with clear performance targets and the possibility of opening its capital to a strategic investor.
• Strengthen the powers and independence of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) to enforce quality-of-service standards for both wholesale and retail markets.
• Adopt a National Broadband Plan with quantified targets for coverage, speed and price, and use it to guide public–private partnerships (PPPs) and concessional finance.
• Reduce the tax burden on digital equipment and promote social tariffs and community access schemes so that low-income households can connect.

Introduction

The poor quality and high cost of internet connectivity in Cameroon are major obstacles to digital development. Mobile data is significantly more expensive than in several comparator countries, and fixed broadband speeds remain low by regional standards. This combination of high prices and low quality discourages usage, limits innovation and prevents firms, schools and public services from fully using digital tools.

This brief diagnoses the main bottlenecks in the telecom sector, focusing on the performance and governance of Camtel and the national fibre backbone, and draws lessons from more successful African experiences. It then proposes a concise set of policy options to improve quality, expand coverage and lower prices in a sustainable way.

Context of the Telecommunications Sector in Cameroon

Cameroon’s telecom market is structured around three main operators. Camtel is the state-owned incumbent, responsible for the national optical fibre backbone and fixed-line services. MTN and Orange, subsidiaries of international groups, dominate the mobile market. The Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) oversees the sector, while the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications retains strong influence over strategic decisions.

The country is linked to several submarine cables and has a terrestrial fibre backbone of more than 12,000 kilometres. In practice, however, the condition and management of this network are weak. An operational audit launched by ART in 2024 found that the backbone is in continuous degradation and that current maintenance practices are inadequate. These weaknesses help explain why Cameroon ranks at the bottom of international fibre-development indices and why fixed broadband performance is so poor.

Because Camtel operates the backbone as a legal monopoly, any incident on the national fibre immediately affects MTN and Orange. Operators report frequent cuts on the backbone, with repair times that can last many hours or even days. This translates into recurrent outages, unstable speeds and uneven coverage for end-users. ART has sanctioned operators several times for poor quality and insufficient coverage, including a substantial fine in 2023 for recurrent failures in network availability and customer management. While MTN and Orange continue to invest in 4G and prepare for 5G, their efforts are constrained by the fragility of the backbone and by cross-cutting constraints such as unstable electricity supply.

Camtel itself faces acute structural challenges. Its revenues still depend largely on traditional fixed-line services and public administration clients, while newer business lines such as mobile services and wholesale fibre are struggling to take off. High indebtedness, limited financial capacity to modernize equipment and an overly bureaucratic organisational structure weigh on performance. Acts of vandalism and sabotage further undermine service quality and raise costs.

Comparative Analysis: More Performant African Models

Several African countries have achieved better results by combining infrastructure investment with sound governance and competition. Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana offer instructive examples.

Rwanda has expanded broadband access by opening the fixed-internet market to multiple providers and by using a public–private partnership for a nationwide 4G network. Numerous fixed-internet licences have encouraged fibre-to-the-home and fibre-to-the-business deployment, while the wholesale 4G network allows operators to provide high-speed mobile internet at lower cost.

Kenya has multiplied international and domestic links and promoted infrastructure sharing, which, combined with strong competition between operators, has led to relatively low tariffs and improved quality for consumers.

Ghana illustrates the benefits of liberalization and effective regulation of both fixed and mobile segments: privatization of the incumbent attracted an investor committed to modernizing the network, and a competitive mobile market raised coverage and speeds. By early 2024, Ghana’s average fixed download speed was several times higher than Cameroon’s, and internet penetration was significantly higher.

In all three cases, reforms were anchored in national digital strategies, supported at the highest level of government and implemented by regulators with a clear mandate and sufficient autonomy, which helped align the interests of the state, operators and development partners.

Policy Recommendations for Quality Internet

Based on this diagnosis and the comparative experiences above, priority actions include the following measures.

1. Restructure and Professionalize Camtel into a Neutral and Efficient Infrastructure Operator

• Functionally unbundle Camtel and create a dedicated Infrastructure Company (InfraCo) responsible for the backbone, with separate accounts and the possibility of opening part of its capital to a strategic investor under clear conditions.
• Strengthen corporate governance by appointing independent directors, setting measurable performance indicators such as Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and a Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) of no more than twelve hours for backbone incidents, and requiring regular independent audits.
• Design and finance a multi-year investment plan, combining state resources, guaranteed loans and private capital, to modernize, secure and densify the backbone, for example through deeper cable burial, surveillance systems and ring-based redundancy.

2. Strengthen Pro-Competitive Regulation and Attract Private Capital

• Enhance ART’s capacity and independence so that it can systematically monitor quality of service for both wholesale and retail markets and apply proportionate sanctions when obligations are not met.
• Open the infrastructure market by facilitating new regional or metropolitan InfraCos, improving access conditions for internet service providers and ensuring non-discriminatory access to backbone capacity.
• Use a National Broadband Plan for 2025–2030, with quantified targets for coverage, speed and price, to guide PPPs and concessional finance in priority projects such as additional cross-border links, internet exchange points and rural 4G and 5G coverage.

3. Ensure Financial Accessibility and Digital Inclusion

• Reduce fiscal barriers by lowering customs duties on network equipment and revising specific taxes on devices and data that unduly raise the final price for users.
• Promote tariff-equity mechanisms, including subsidizedsocial tariffs for students and low-income households, public Wi-Fi in schools and municipal spaces, and community digital centres financed by the Universal Access Fund.
• Combine competition and regulation to move progressively towards a price per gigabyte that does not exceed around two per cent of average monthly income, in line with good practice in other African countries.

Summary of Responsibilities and Timelines

• Government of Cameroon– Approve the functional unbundling of Camtel, adopt the National Broadband Plan and align tax policy with digital-inclusion objectives. Short term (2025–2026) for reforms; medium term (2027–2030) for implementation.
• Camtel / InfraCo– Implement restructuring, sign SLAs with operators and roll out the investment plan to modernize and secure the backbone. Short term for restructuring; medium term for investment.
• ART– Monitor quality of service, enforce non-discriminatory access and publish regular performance reports. Short term for regulatory updates; continuous thereafter.
• Private operators and investors– Expand 4G and 5G coverage, deploy fibre in cities and participate in PPPs and rural-connectivity projects. Continuous over the medium term.
• Development partners– Provide technical assistance, concessional finance and guarantees for backbone and last-mile projects, aligned with national and regional digital strategies. Short and medium term.

Conclusion

Cameroon’s deficit in internet quality, stability and accessibility stems from interconnected problems: deteriorating infrastructure, weak incentives for maintenance and investment, an under-performing monopoly on the backbone and governance arrangements that do not yet fully support competition and innovation. Addressing these issues in a coordinated way is essential if the country is to realize its digital ambitions.

Experiences from Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana show that significant improvements are achievable when governments combine infrastructure investment with structural reforms, open markets to competition and empower regulators. For Cameroon, ensuring reliable and affordable internet access for all is not a luxury; it is a key condition for diversifying the economy, attracting digital investors and connecting citizens to modern educational, financial and administrative services.

The reforms proposed in this brief offer a realistic road map. Their success will depend on strong political commitment, effective coordination between public and private actors and careful monitoring of results. If these conditions are met, better internet in Cameroon can become a powerful lever for growth, innovation and social inclusion.