July 27th 2021: MTN GlobalConnect and CAMTEL have joined forces to establish a strategic partnership that will see the commercialisation of four submarine cables in the West and Central sub-region of Africa. The partnership will improve connectivity in Cameroon and support the increasing demand for internet capacity.
CAMTEL, the State-owned telecommunications Operator in Cameroon has access rights on four subsea cables that are key for the connectivity of the sub-region, namely: WACS, SAT3, NCSCS and the SAIL subsea cable that connects Cameroon to Brazil.
Within the framework of this partnership, MTN GlobalConnect lessens the gap between its partners and the West coast of Africa. This partnership accelerates Cameroon’s digital transformation journey and enables the country to position itself as a digital hub for the region.
“We believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life,” said MTN GlobalConnect CEO Frédéric Schepens. “By working closely with CAMTEL, we are delighted to be part of Cameroons digital journey and leverage their extensive fibre network in Cameroon and in turn grow our fibre railway ambitions for Africa.”
As a Pan-African wholesale and infrastructure services company with deeply anchored roots in the continent, MTN GlobalConnect continues to establish strategic partnerships that support the African developmental agenda and the national priorities of Cameroon in particular.
Schepens went on to say, “In line with our Ambition 2025 strategy—this collaboration with CAMTEL demonstrates how, in partnering with our host countries and state-owned entities, MTN GlobalConnect is committed to growing digital connectivity between African countries and the rest of the world.”
As Cameroon’s telecommunication infrastructure operator, CAMTEL ambitions to position itself as the digital hub for the Central Africa region with cross-border fibre optics connectivity to extend its solid international submarine cable assets to benefit communication service providers in Cameroon as well as neighbouring countries such as Chad, Gabon, Nigeria, among others.
Judith Yah Sunday, CAMTEL CEO explained that “this strategic partnership between CAMTEL and MTN GlobalConnect represents a milestone in the implementation of Cameroon digital economy development program and more specifically in the increased monetization of our subsea assets in line with our ambition to turn Cameroon into the digital hub of Central Africa”.
