By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
National incumbent operator, Cameroon Telecommunications, CAMTEL has said, they have taken up strategies aimed at combating the rampant vandalism of its infrastructure.
The strategies were announced on October 11 in Yaoundé by CAMTEL’s Director General, Judith Yah Sunday épouse Achidi, during a working visit by the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, and her team.
Speaking during the visit, Judith Yah Sunday emphasized that CAMTEL has faced numerous challenges in recent months, particularly regarding service quality.
Fully aware of Cameroonians’ expectations and its responsibilities, she stated that immediate corrective measures were taken to address these inconveniences. According to her, CAMTEL is committed to finding lasting solutions to strengthen its resilience in the face of these crises.
“Several external factors have contributed to this situation,” she explained. “Acts of vandalism targeting our infrastructure, especially optical fiber, have increased significantly in recent months.”
She added, “These acts of sabotage directly impact service continuity and disrupt user experience. In response, CAMTEL has intensified its collaboration with relevant authorities to protect its strategic infrastructure and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
In addition to vandalism, she pointed out that power supply challenges, including prolonged power cuts that affect technical equipment stability, and uncoordinated public works, have also caused damage to critical cables and equipment.
Despite these obstacles, the Director General said, CAMTEL has continued to implement initiatives to improve service quality. She stated that, the recent handover of the fiber optic cable deployed by ENEO is a significant step forward in optimizing connectivity nationwide.
“CAMTEL has also signed an agreement with CAMWATER and is exploring opportunities with CAMRAIL to utilize rail corridors for fiber deployment. These initiatives aim to pool and leverage national infrastructures for the benefit of all,” she added.
The CAMTEL boss also stressed that these efforts can only be successful with the collective participation of public authorities and citizens in preserving infrastructure.
“Optical fiber, the backbone of the telecommunications network, must be considered a national asset, requiring collective vigilance,” she said.
Meanwhile, during a press conference after the working visit to CAMTEL, Orange Cameroun and MTN Cameroon, Minister Libom Li Likeng noted that the field mission was prompted by a resurgence of complaints related to service quality, including frequent network interruptions, slow internet connections, and poor voice quality.
Going by her, the visit aimed to ensure that mobile operators are fulfilling their commitments made in 2023, especially as telecom service quality in Cameroon has deteriorated in recent months.
After listening to the problems and solutions presented, the Minister in the press conference said, there is need for strengthened dialogue and synergy among stakeholders to address the identified issues promptly.
She however, called on the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, ART to strengthen and modernize its system for monitoring and controlling operators’ contractual commitments, ensuring their full compliance with obligations.
She said, this requires the implementation of more rigorous monitoring and evaluation tools, including automated monitoring of network performance and appropriate sanctions are applied in the event of non-compliance.
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