Cameroon's telecoms regulator has launched a new operational audit of Camtel's national fibre optic network, citing growing concerns about the quality of service provided by mobile network carriers such as MTN and Orange.
State-run Camtel owns and manages the country's about 12,000-kilometre terrestrial optical fibre network.
While MTN and Orange manage their own mobile infrastructure, they rely largely on Camtel's backbone for data transmission and interconnectivity.
Both telcos have frequently blamed regular service outages on Camtel fibre cuts, which Camtel has continually denied.
Philemon Zoo Zame, director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB), has now announced a restricted bidding process to select an independent company to undertake the audit.
The projected cost of the audit is $604,450, and the selected firm will have a maximum of six months to complete the services.
The move follows repeated customer complaints about frequent optic fibre cuts and service disruptions, poor and unsteady internet speeds, and network instability.
According to the telecoms regulator, the audit will assess the current operational status of Camtel's fibre infrastructure, identify technical bottlenecks, and propose steps to improve network performance and reliability.
TRB hopes that the audit will ensure that the national backbone meets required standards to support quality services for end users and licensed telecom operators.
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