Cameroon increases internet bandwidth with SAIL cable
The ICT sector in Cameroon is making steady progress enabling the country to make better use of the digital economy. Currently, 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 SAIL submarine cable had been laid, 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 4.89 million subscribers by late 2018. 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 having launched its own m-money service in late 2018.
Key developments:
Camtel contracts SatADSL for satellite broadband services;
Cable laying for the SAIL cable system to Brazil is completed;
Telecom revenue increases 3.3% in 2017, year-on-year;
Orange Cameroon expands LTE services;
Nextell Cameroon launches m-money service;
MNOs fined for SIM card registration failures;
National fibre rollout continues with new funding;
Report update includes regulators market report for 2017, telcos operating data to Q4 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.
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Key statistics Country overview Telecommunications market Market analysis Digital Cameroon 2020 Regional African Market Comparison Mobile and mobile broadband Fixed and mobile broadband TMI vs GDP Regulatory environment Regulatory authority Licensing Market liberalisation Interconnection International gateways Universal Access Fund (UAF) Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Fixed network operators Cameroon Telecommunication (Camtel) Privatisation Pastel Telecommunications infrastructure Overview of the national telecom network National fibre backbone Central African Backbone (CAB) Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) Cloud services International infrastructure Submarine cables VSAT Fixed-line broadband market Introduction and statistical overview Public access locations Broadband statistics ISP market Fixed-line broadband technologies Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) Other fixed broadband services Mobile market Market analysis Mobile statistics Mobile data Mobile broadband Forecasts – mobile subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023 Regulatory issues Mobile Number Portability (MNP) SIM card registration Mobile infrastructure Digital networks Other infrastructure developments Major mobile operators MTN Cameroon Orange Cameroon Nextell Cameroon (Viettel) Camtel Mobile Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) Mobile content and applications M-payment and m-banking M-health Related reportsList of Tables
Table 1 – Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities - Cameroon – 2018 (e)
Table 2 – Telecom market revenue – 2012 – 2017
Table 3 – Market share of revenue by sector– 2010 – 2017
Table 4 – Telecom market investment – 2009 – 2017
Table 5 – Market share of investment by sector– 2010 – 2017
Table 6 – Camtel revenue – 2013 – 2017
Table 7 – Camtel fixed lines by type – 2014 – 2017
Table 8 – Camtel fixed-line traffic by type – 2014 – 2017
Table 9 – Historic - fixed lines in service – 1995 – 2009
Table 10 – Fixed lines in service – 2010 – 2018
Table 11 – Fixed-line subscribers – 2000 – 2018
Table 12 – International bandwidth – 2008 – 2016
Table 13 –Fixed internet market revenue – 2013 – 2017
Table 14 – Historic - Internet users and penetration rate – 1997 – 2009
Table 15 – Internet users and penetration rate – 2010 – 2018
Table 16 – Fixed-line broadband subscribers – 2005 – 2018
Table 17 – Total fixed and mobile internet subscribers – 2014 – 2017
Table 18 – CamNet fixed broadband subscribers (DSL, EVDO and CDMA – 2012 – 2017
Table 19 – Fibre broadband subscribers – 2014 – 2017
Table 20 – WiMAX subscribers – 2012 – 2017
Table 21 – Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 1998 – 2009
Table 22 – Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2010 – 2018
Table 23 – Mobile subscribers by type – 2010 – 2017
Table 24 –Mobile market share of subscribers by operator – 2015 – 2017
Table 25 –Mobile ARPU, SMS and voice traffic per subscriber per month – 2010 – 2017
Table 26 –Mobile voice traffic – 2013 – 2017
Table 27 –Mobile market revenue – 2011 – 2017
Table 28 –Mobile market share of revenue by operator – 2014 – 2017
Table 29 – GSM SMS traffic – 2013 – 2017
Table 30 – CDMA SMS traffic – 2015 – 2017
Table 31 – Active mobile broadband subscribers and penetration – 2014 – 2018
Table 32 – GPRS/EDGE/3G mobile internet subscribers – 2013 – 2017
Table 33 – Forecast mobile subscribers – 2019; 2021; 2023
Table 34 – Mobile 3G and WiMAX/LTE population coverage – 2014 – 2018
Table 35 – MTN Cameroon ARPU ($) – 2003 – 2018
Table 36 – MTN Cameroon ARPU (CFA) – 2013 – 2018
Table 37 – MTN Cameroon financial data – 2011 – 2018
Table 38 – MTN Cameroon revenue by type – 2015 – 2018
Table 39 – MTN Cameroon revenue (XAF) – 2016 – 2018
Table 40 – MTN Cameroon subscribers – 2012 – 2018
Table 41 – Orange Cameroon mobile subscribers – 2012 – 2018
Table 42 – Orange Cameroon revenue – 2012 – 2018
Table 43 – Orange Cameroon annualised ARPU – 2012 – 2017
Table 44 – Nextell Cameroon mobile subscribers – 2014 – 2018
Table 45 – M-money users and transactions – 2012 – 2017
Table 46 – M-money penetration – 2012 – 2017
Table 47 – Average m-money transactions per user – 2013 – 2017List of Charts
Chart 1 – Telecom market revenue – 2012 – 2017
Chart 2 – Market share of revenue by sector– 2010 – 2017
Chart 3 – Telecom market investment – 2009 – 2017
Chart 4 – Market share of investment by sector– 2010 – 2017
Chart 5 – Africa Telecoms Maturity Index – Market Emergents (bottom tier) – 2018
Chart 6 – Central Africa –Telecoms Maturity Index by country – 2018
Chart 7 – Central Africa mobile subscriber penetration versus mobile broadband penetration – 2018
Chart 8 – Central Africa fixed and mobile penetration rates – 2017
Chart 9 – Overall Africa view - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita – 2018
Chart 10 – Central Africa - Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per Capita – 2018
Chart 11 – Internet users and penetration rate – 2005 – 2018
Chart 12 – CamNet fixed broadband subscribers (DSL, EVDO and CDMA – 2012 – 2017
Chart 13 – Mobile subscribers and penetration rate – 2002 – 2018List of Exhibits
Exhibit 1 – Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
