Cameroon – Telecoms: Subscriptions to 4G will increase by 71% over the period 2017-2021, according to Ericsson

The dynamism observed in the mobile telephone market in Cameroon, for some years, is not near to fade. According to the Swedish equipment manufacturer Ericsson, which presented its latest report (June 2017) on mobility (Ericsson Mobility Report) in Yaoundé on 29 June 2017,

the number of mobile subscribers in the country will increase by 71% in the 2017-2021 period. On the basis of this projection, it is estimated that 6 million new mobile subscribers will be registered in the country.

In short, Cameroon, which currently has a population of about 22 million and a population increase of 5% every 5 years, will have close to 24 million mobile subscribers by 2021, compared with 17.8 million ‘Subscribers at the end of February 2017, according to the above-mentioned report (including 9.6 million subscribers for MTN Cameroon, 6.2 million subscribers for Orange and slightly more than 2 million subscribers for Nexttel).

This increase in the number of mobile subscribers will be accompanied by a complete reconfiguration of the market, with regard to technology prized by mobile users. Indeed, reveals Ericssson, between 2017 and 2021, there will be a 20% reduction on GSM subscriptions (2G), while subscriptions to 3G and 4G will increase by 17% and 71% respectively.

To put it plainly, the 2020s in Cameroon will be 4G years, technology arrived in the country in December 2015, and on which active mobile operators in Cameroon continue to invest massively, says the Swedish equipment manufacturer. This democratization of the 4G announced in Cameroon in the next 5 years is simply, it is said, a reflection of the level of penetration of this technology in the world.

“Based on measurements performed on hundreds of mobile networks, the Ericsson mobility report is a perfect example of the growth of our industry. The number of 4G subscriptions is growing faster than ever before. The adoption of voice over LTE (4G) is accelerating and traffic growth reaches levels we have not seen since 2013. “said Niklas Heuveldop, Strategy Manager and Director of Technology and Emerging Business at Ericsson.

Indeed, Ericsson maintains that, as of 2018, the LTE "will supplant the GSM (worldwide, Editor’s note), becoming the network access technology that will have the most subscribers. The speed with which this technology has been deployed and adopted is unprecedented. In just 5 years, LTE has covered 2.5 billion people, compared with 8 years for the WCDMA/HSPA (3G)".

Written by Ashembwom Stephanie