Cameroonian operator Camtel is ready to deploy its first GSM network in a bid to gain market share, ITWeb reported. Camtel has just under 3 percent of the market and has been overtaken by MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroun and Viettel (Nexttel).

Camtel has been offering CDMA mobile telephony since it started up in 1998. The government, via the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, recently granted the company three concession agreements. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Minette Libom Li Likeng said the agreements include a licence for Camtel to run a GSM network.

Camtel said subscribers will immediately be able to use the mobile service as the infrastructure is already in place. It added that since 2014, it has deployed 413 base stations using 3G/4G, covering 65 percent of the population. Camtel plans to add 60 base transceiver stations by 31 December.

The government has also renewed Camtel’s fixed telecommunications network licence which had expired after fifteen years, and allowed the company to extend its national fibre optic backbone.

Source: Telecompaper