Nexttel, the Cameroonian subsidiary of Vietnamese telecoms operator Viettel, will soon provide 4G connectivity to local subscribers.

This follows an agreement recently reached between management of Nexttel and the Israeli communication solutions provider - Gilat Telecom, formerly known as Satcom.

According to the deal, Nexttel will make use of Gilat Telecom's fibre network in Cameroon and the continent to provide "a fast and reliable broadband service to its customers."

Dan Zajicek, Chief Executive Officer of Gilat Telecom said, "Demand for mobile broadband services is very high in Cameroon as, of course, people want to be able to access online services from their phone over a reliable and fast network. We are investing heavily in our infrastructure across Africa and this is enabling us to win large customers like Nexttel."

According to a statement issued by Gilat Telecom, the company was retained by Nexttel for its excellent customer service and extremely high service-level agreements after a competitive tender which included established wholesale carriers in Africa.

No further details of the deal were made available.

Nexttel, which entered Cameroon's telecoms market in 2015 with a 3G license, will require a 4G license from the Telecommunication Regulatory Board to offer the service to its subscribers.

With about five million subscribers already garnered, Nexttel surpasses the state-owned Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) and is third to MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun. The network service provider is well implanted in the country's rural areas and is likely going to have a comparative advantage over other operators with its new 4G connection.

According to Cameroon's National Institute of Statistics, the internet penetration rate in the country stood at 35.43% in 2016, up from 0.24% in 2011. Cameroon had some 18,819,852 mobile phone users in 2016.