The telecommunications company says the latest incident occurred overnight from July 13 to 14, where unknown individuals destroyed key cables and telecom boxes, disrupting services and putting the nation’s digital economy at risk. The company’s General Manager, Judith Yah Sunday, is now calling for tougher laws and urgent action to protect what she calls a national resource.
Cameroon Telecommunications, Camtel, the state-run telecom operator, has raised alarm over recent acts of sabotage targeting its optical fibre infrastructure an essential backbone for the country’s digital services and economic activities. In a series of attacks overnight between Sunday, July 13 and Monday, July 14, 2024, unidentified individuals destroyed critical telecommunications assets, including overhead fibre optic cables and distribution boxes.
These acts have disrupted digital connectivity, affecting public services and threatening Cameroon’s efforts to advance its digital economy. This latest wave of vandalism follows earlier warnings from Camtel’s General Manager, Judith Yah Sunday Epse Achidi. On June 25, during the launch of the “Entrepreneurial Strategy Days through ICT” at the Paul Biya Glass House in Ngoa Ekelle, she highlighted the increasing damage to telecom infrastructure.
Speaking in the presence of national legislators, Ms. Achidi called for stronger legislation with harsh penalties and urged a coordinated national approach to protect digital infrastructure, which she described as a shared national resource.
Expanding Cameroon’s digital network
Despite these challenges, Camtel remains committed to expanding and securing its optical fibre network to promote digital equity across both urban and rural areas. The company has already deployed over 180,000 Fiber To The Home, FTTH, ports, aiming to reach 230,000 by the end of 2024. The national fibre backbone spans more than 12,000 kilometers, connecting all regional capitals and most divisional hubs.
The ongoing Phase IV of the project will add another 4,000 kilometers, boosting network capacity and resilience. This expansion supports growing demand for high-bandwidth applications like cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Strategic role in international connectivity
On the international front, Camtel plays a key role in linking Cameroon to global digital networks through participation in major submarine cable projects such as SAIL, WACS, SAT-3, and the upcoming Medusa cable. These investments position Cameroon as a future digital hub with sovereign connectivity routes to Europe and the Americas. As Cameroon pushes forward with its digital transformation, safeguarding critical telecom infrastructure from sabotage remains crucial to ensuring uninterrupted service delivery and sustained economic growth.
