(Business in Cameroon) – The 74th board meeting of the African Regional Satellite Communications Organization (Rascom), held from May 22 to 24 in Yaoundé, highlights the crucial importance of satellite connectivity in the African telecom landscape. Against the backdrop of major disruptions to Africa’s undersea fiber optic cables, Camtel’s Managing Director, Judith Yah Sunday (pictured), emphasized the strategic significance of satellite solutions.
“This board meeting is taking place in a very important context, given the events of March when the undersea cable was cut. Today, the satellite solution presents an opportunity that will enable countries to stay connected, regardless of the issues faced with other communication channels,” she stated at the session’s opening.
The cutting of undersea cables on March 14 disrupted internet supply for several days in many African countries, including Cameroon. This reignited the debate on the growing dependence on fiber optics, underscoring the need for redundancy and diversification of communication infrastructures. As an alternative, many African telecom companies are exploring space options to enhance network coverage, especially in rural areas. Examples are Orange and MTN, which have subsidiaries in Cameroon. The growing interest of telecom operators and other players in the African telecom sector in satellites lies in the technology’s greater reach, enabling connectivity even in rural, remote, and hard-to-access areas for terrestrial networks.
However, this Rascom meeting also occurred as Cameroonian authorities recently banned Starlink, the internet satellite network developed by SpaceX, led by American billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Authorities express concerns about its long-term impact on national telecom infrastructure, particularly those of Camtel, the state-owned telecom operator. They also fear that increasing dependence on this technology may threaten the country’s digital sovereignty, even as SMEs and startups see the arrival of this offering as an opportunity amid recurrent fiber optic disruptions.
“It is crucial at this moment for Africa to assess its strengths in satellite connectivity and chart the way forward,” responds Rascom CEO Timothy Ashong. He believes that satellite connectivity remains a promising answer to Africa’s persistent internet access challenges, especially in Cameroon. Rascom’s three-day session focuses on how African satellite communications operators can contribute to achieving digital connectivity on the continent, thus highlighting the increasing importance of this technology in the African telecom landscape.
