Cameroon’s state-owned telco Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) has reportedly revealed a budget of XAF326.2 billion (US$514.7 million) for 2025 to upgrade its network infrastructure and improve service quality, along with a strategic roadmap to steward its evolution to 2027.

According to a report from TechAfrica News on Tuesday, the 2025 budget includes plans for installing new antennas and modernizing existing equipment. Meanwhile, the roadmap aims to diversify Camtel’s service offerings, enhance operational efficiency, and reinforce transparency and good governance practices over the next three years.

Both the budget and the roadmap appear geared to respond to criticism over Camtel’s service quality, the report said.

Despite that, Camtel said it is a strong position financially to implement the improvements, with revenue doubling from XAF108 billion in 2018 to XAF207 billion in 2023, while its capital has grown from XAF67 billion to XAF117 billion. Camtel also reported a net profit of XAF11 billion in 2023.

In November, Camtel’s director of strategy, organisation, project and innovation, Gilbert Ngono, told Developing Telecoms that the telco plans to conduct 5G pilots next year in Yaoundé, Douala, and selected rural locations to align with the government’s Universal Service mandate.

Meanwhile, as part of its expansion plans, Camtel aims to increase its fibre-optic network from 12,000 kilometres to between 17,000 and 22,000 kilometres. That includes a new CFA100 billion fibre backbone that will add new fibre-optic lines and routes for data traffic.

Camtel has also signed a mobile network sharing agreement with French operator group Orange to boost service quality and narrow the gap with mobile rivals Orange and MTN.

Ngono said that while Camtel holds under 5% of Cameroon’s CFA800 billion mobile market, its network expansion plans should help it achieve 10% market share within the next two years.