Cameroon: Connection to the Medusa cable, a new strategic link at the crossroads of challenges
In the rapidly expanding digital landscape of Africa, Cameroon is reaching a major milestone by preparing its connection to the next-generation Medusa submarine cable.
This announcement, made by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, before the National Assembly, is part of a continental race for connectivity.
As the country’s fifth international link following SAIL, WACS, SAT-3, and NCSCS this move strengthens its status as a digital hub in Central Africa.
Launched in 2022, the Medusa infrastructure is a colossal project spanning over 8,700 kilometers, leveraging 24 fiber pairs for a total capacity of 480 terabits.
Initially deployed to connect Europe and North Africa, its extension to West Africa funded by the European Union to the tune of 14.3 million euros explicitly aims to enhance digital resilience and reduce bandwidth costs.
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For Cameroonian consumers, the potential impact is significant: a World Bank study indicates that doubling international capacity can lead to an average reduction of 7% in fixed broadband prices and 13% in mobile broadband prices.
The project is now in an advanced stage of institutional validation, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) submitted to the Presidency of the Republic for its “high approval.”
The state-owned operator Camtel, which holds the monopoly on cable landing management, will be responsible for the connection.
This new capacity comes at an opportune time to support the exponential growth in data demand in Cameroon and the sub-region.
However, this ambition clashes with an economic reality. Despite being connected to four submarine cables, Camtel reportedly utilizes only a small portion of the available capacity.
This paradox raises crucial questions about the sustainability of its business model and its ability to optimize these massive investments.
The challenge will no longer be accessing bandwidth but distributing it effectively and competitively across the entire national territory.
Thus, the connection to Medusa symbolizes both a strategic opportunity for the digital economy of Cameroon and a maturity test for its historic operator.
The success of the project will not be measured by the laying of the cable but by its ability to catalyze a lasting decrease in prices for users and to stimulate innovation in digital services finally transforming the theoretical abundance of connectivity into tangible progress for citizens and businesses.
Eric NEUHLONG
