MTN Cameroon's aim to deploy 5G connection is being hampered by a lack of a regulatory framework for the technology, according to the telco's CEO, Mitwa Ng'ambi. 

 Ng'ambi pointed out that MTN is interested in delivering 5G to Cameroon as part of the group's strategy to guarantee that the technologies it provides evolve with the times.

 “As a technology company, we are conscious that technology is evolving and those evolution of technology also open up new opportunities for consumers,” Ng'ambi said this during an interview with ITWeb Africa in Douala to commemorate her second anniversary as CEO of MTN Cameroon.

According to Ng'ambi, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications is leading the effort to introduce 5G technology in Cameroon, and progress has been achieved in terms of developing a regulatory framework for the technology to operate. 

As a law-abiding operator, Ng'ambi said MTN will wait for the regulation to be passed before announcing its intentions. “It [5G] will come,” she said.

MTN Cameroon requested a 5G testing license from the Telecommunications Regulatory Board in 2019, but received no response, delaying the company's goal of being the country's first mobile network provider to offer 5G connectivity.

MTN Cameroon now operates 2G, 3G, and 4G networks, connecting 97% of the country's population.