Camtel, Cameroon's state-owned telco, expressed concern of an increase in the number of incidents on its countrywide optic fibre network since September 20, resulting in a reduction in service quality.

Camtel's chief of institutional and digital communication division, Eric Benjamin Lamere, stated that the telco's recent optic fibre cuts were the consequence of vandalism.

“At first sight, these appear to be intentional acts aimed at calling to question its [Camtel’s] ability to provide a quality electronic communications service in Cameroon,” Lamere disclosed.

He said Camtel teams were on the ground working to restore connection as soon as possible.

“Camtel apologies for the inconvenience caused by the deterioration of service due to these incidents and remains committed to providing it partners with quality internet service,” the company said in a statement.

According to officials, Camtel's optic fibre network has been interrupted 17 times since September due to vandalism.

Camtel has a monopoly on the deployment and management of the national optic fibre backbone, which stretches over 12,000 kilometers.

In addition to its overhead and terrestrial optic fibre links, Camtel has access to four subsea cables, which it sells to other operators for data connectivity.

Recent disruptions on the optic fibre backbone have sparked heated debate among Camtel and other mobile network carriers, who have traded blame for poor service quality.