At working visit of P&T minister: CAMTEL GM says recent interruptions in services acts of sabotage.

Described as acts of sabotage, the CAMTEL boss said the attacks have had direct impact on the continuity of their services while seriously disrupting the company’s users’ experience.

Judith Yah Sunday was speaking Friday during an in-camera working session with the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng. 

The working session held at the CAMTEL headquarters in Yaounde was the last lap of the minister’s working visit to telecoms operators in the country. The visit began in Douala Thursday, October 11.

Speaking earlier while welcoming Minister Libom Li Likeng and her delegation, CAMTEL General Manager said the visit comes at a crucial time for her company and the sector. 

She mentioned that the minister’s visit follows that of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, TRB.

Judith Yah Sunday said the minister’s visit reflected not only the importance she attaches to the quality of telecommunications services in the country, but also her commitment to supporting CAMTEL in its public service mission.

She recounted that over the past few months, “we have indeed faced some complex challenges, especially with regard to the quality of our services”.

Judith Yah Sunday told the minister that there has been a deterioration of the network, which has significantly affected their subscribers across the country. 

“In that connection, I would like to reaffirm that CAMTEL, as the incumbent operator, is fully aware of the expectations of Cameroonians and of its responsibilities. We therefore took immediate corrective measures to mitigate these inconveniences, and we are committed to finding lasting solutions to strengthen our resilience in the face of these crises,” she said.

The CAMTEL GM was quick to explain to the minister that several external factors contributed to the disruptions. 

She said acts of vandalism targeting CAMTEL’s infrastructure, especially optical fibre, have increased to worrying proportions in recent months. 

“These acts of sabotage have a direct impact on the continuity of our services and seriously disrupt our users’ experience. In response, we have intensified our collaboration with the relevant authorities to protect our strategic infrastructure and bring the perpetrators of these reprehensible acts to justice,” she told the minister.

She continued that: “We also face power-supply challenges, including prolonged power cuts that affect the stability of our technical equipment. Uncoordinated public works are another major challenge as they regularly result in damages to our critical cables and equipment”.

Judith Yah Sunday said despite the various obstacles, CAMTEL has continued to implement initiatives to improve the quality of its services. 

She cited the recent handover of the fibre optic cable deployed by ENEO as a significant step forward. She said the deal strengthens CAMTEL’s ability to optimise connectivity throughout the country. 

“In addition, we have signed an agreement with CAMWATER, and we are currently exploring opportunities with CAMRAIL to use rail corridors for fibre deployment. These initiatives are aimed at pooling and making better use of national infrastructures for the benefit of all,” she added.

However, she noted that the said efforts will only be fully successful if everyone, from public authorities to citizens, plays their part in preserving our infrastructure. 

She said the optical fibre, the backbone of the telecommunications network, must be regarded as a national asset, and protecting it requires collective vigilance. 

Judith Yah Sunday said CAMTEL remains resolutely committed to improving the quality of its services and to modernising and extending its infrastructure, in order to meet the expectations of its fellow citizens. 

“We are mobilised to fully implement the recommendations aimed at improving the quality of electronic communications, in accordance with your high instructions, Madam Minister,” she said.

Enter P&T minister

Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference, she later granted newsmen following her visit to CAMTEL and other telecoms operators, Minister Libom Li Likeng explained that frequent network interruptions, slow internet connections, call drops, and poor voice call quality have become recurrent issues. 

The member of government said the said inconveniences, such as unexpected disruptions, prolonged response times, or reduced bandwidth, severely affect the daily lives of the country’s citizens and hinder the development of the digital economy.

“In the face of this worrying situation and the increasing number of user complaints, it was imperative for the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to respond firmly and in a coordinated manner,” she said. 

The minister said after addressing the issue with the telecoms regulator and all operators, “I decided to personally meet with the heads of telecommunications companies, not only to assess the implementation of the measures adopted in April 2023 but also to closely examine the root causes of the new problems consumers are facing regarding quality of service, and to identify appropriate solutions”.

The minister disclosed that prior to her field visits to the operators, several crucial actions were undertaken by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, starting on September 18. 

“Among these actions were: A request to the Regulator, specifically the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, ART, to produce a detailed report on the measures implemented to monitor the actions taken by operators to improve the quality of telecommunications services nationwide,” she revealed.

She said the follow-up report was to provide an update on the implementation status of the recommendations made during the consultation of April 27, 2022, as well as the directives given to the operators.

“The request made to the operators themselves was to submit a comprehensive report on the implementation of the measures arising from the April 2023 consultations, as well as the specific commitments assigned to them during the workshop on quality of service held in December 2022. During this workshop, the licensed operators – CAMTEL, MTN Cameroon, and Orange Cameroon – had announced total investments of approximately 156 billion FCFA in 2023, with the aim of expanding coverage in localities and improving service quality,” she continued.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3259 of Monday October 14, 2024