As the controversy over telecom quality of service continues, MTN Cameroon said this week that fibre destruction has increased by more than 40% this year compared to the previous year.
Following previous disruptions to phone and data services, the company highlighted worries over the state-owned Camtel’s monopoly on the administration of the national optic fibre backbone.
Mobile network carriers in the country have recently traded blame for poor service quality, attributing it to Camtel’s optic fibre connectivity.
MTN said in a statement that it was currently suffering a double fibre cut on two segments in the country’s north, resulting in lost calls and slower-than-usual internet connections for its subscribers.
The telco said: “The deterioration has been more alarming since August, with an average of more than two fibre cuts per day.”
Also, MTN Cameroon said the increase in outages has led to a 30% increase in incident resolution time, sometimes lasting several days.
It added: “MTN Cameroon also wishes to reiterate the pivotal role that fibre connectivity stability plays in providing quality service to its customers.”
However, MTN said that under current conditions, it is beyond its control, and it is difficult to ensure the optimum quality of service.
For its part, Orange Cameroon critiqued Camtel for shortcomings and said it has been experiencing network outages since September 24th due to a terrestrial optic cable cut.
“In effect, multiple disruptions on the optic fibre backbone between Douala and Yaounde are currently hampering the functioning of voice and data equipment in the two cities and other parts of the country,” the company said.
Camtel has claimed that it cannot be held fully liable and that responsibility should be proportionate to the company’s share of liability in the recent event.
