(Business in Cameroon) - In Cameroon, the telecom sector is one of the most affected by the ongoing crisis in Anglophone regions, the national inter-employers’ group (Gicam) said in a recent survey report.

 “The spate of violence that occurred from October 2017 onwards significantly hit the sector with the almost systematic destruction of pylons and transmission sites,” the group indicated, pointing out that as at July 31, out of a total of 618 sites installed in the South-West and North-West, 114 (20%) were affected (fully or partially destroyed). An initial minimum estimate of this loss is valued at nearly CFA283.7 million.

Moreover, the service coverage in these areas is also strongly disrupted as most operational sites can now only be reached in the presence of a military escort. The revenue shortfalls for telephone operators are estimated at nearly CFA975 million per month.

Due to the crisis, many contracts (between 5 and 10) have been broken between the pylon manufacturers and the operators (MTN, Orange, Nexttel, Camtel).

Gicam mentioned that coverage issues have negative repercussions on several other sectors of activity mainly small telecom businesses that employ young people.

S.A