(Business in Cameroon) – The 74th board meeting of the African Regional Organization for Satellite Communications (Rascom), held from May 22 to 24 in Yaoundé, underscores the critical importance of satellite connectivity in the African telecommunications landscape. Against the backdrop of major disruptions to Africa’s undersea fiber optic cables, Camtel CEO Judith Yah Sunday (pictured) highlighted the strategic importance of satellite solutions.
“This board meeting takes place in a very important context, given the events of March when the submarine cable was cut. Today, the satellite solution presents an opportunity that will allow countries to stay connected, regardless of the problems they face with other communication channels,” he said at the start of the meeting.
The cutting of submarine cables on March 14 caused an interruption of the Internet supply for several days in several African countries, including Cameroon. This reignited the debate about the growing reliance on fiber optics, highlighting the need for redundancy and diversification of communications infrastructure. As an alternative, many African telecommunications companies are exploring space options to improve network coverage, especially in rural areas. Examples are Orange and MTN, which have subsidiaries in Cameroon. The growing interest of telecommunications operators and other actors in the African telecommunications sector in satellites lies in the longer range of the technology, which enables connectivity even in rural, remote and inaccessible areas for terrestrial networks.
However, this Rascom meeting took place as Cameroonian authorities recently banned Starlink, the internet satellite network developed by SpaceX, led by American billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Authorities are concerned about its long-term impact on national telecommunications infrastructure, particularly that of Camtel, the state-owned telecommunications company. They also fear that growing reliance on this technology could threaten the country’s digital dominance, even as SMEs and start-ups see the arrival of this offering as an opportunity amid repeated fiber disruptions.
“It is crucial at this time for Africa to assess its strengths in satellite connectivity and chart the way forward.” replies 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 growing importance of this technology in the African telecommunications landscape.