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 enable 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 the 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”.
About the four subsea cables
SAIL (South Atlantic Inter Link)
SAIL is a (4×2 pair) submarine cable that links Cameroon (from the city of Kribi) to Brazil (city of Fortaleza) over an approximate distance of 6000 Km. Operational since September 2018 with a capacity of 32 Tbps, it enables the intercontinental transportation of traffic between the Americas (North and South) and Africa, with a possible transit through Europe and Asia resulting in significant gains in terms of high speed performance.
NCSCS (Nigeria-Cameroon Submarine Cable System)
NCSCS is a (4×2 pair) submarine cable that links Cameroon (from the city of Kribi) to Nigeria (city of Lagos) covering over 1000 km through the Atlantic Ocean. Operational since 25 January 2016 with a capacity of 100 Gbps, it assures continuity of service with the international Main One submarine cable from Lagos.
SAT3 (South Atlantic Telecommunications cable N°3 south Africa East)
SAT3 is a (2×2 pair) submarine cable that links Cameroon (from the city of Douala) to Portugal (city of Sessimbra) over a distance of close to 15000 Km. It is the very first intercontinental fibre optic link put in service by the country since the 18th of February 2002. It provides CAMTEL with capacity of 88 Gbps.
WACS (West Africa Cable System)
WACS is a (4×2 pair) submarine cable access road of the WACS Consortium which lands in Cameroon (at Batoké in the city of Limbe). It is operational since the 1st of July 2015 and provides CAMTEL with capacity of 140 Gbps. (Between the Limbe Global switch)
