A4AI has released its latest country case study on Cameroon — one of the least connected countries in the world where only 6 percent of Cameroonians use the Internet, and those that do shell out over 60 percent of average monthly income for an entry-level fixed-line broadband package. This short case study seeks to outline briefly the current status of connectivity in the country, analyse some of the reasons for high prices, and major challenges that must be overcome to make affordable Internet for all a reality.
As we note in our case study:
The reasons for persistently high prices are multiple, complex and inter-linked—Cameroon suffers from limited international bandwidth, a monopoly in the fixed-line sector, severely limited competition in the mobile sector, a regulator struggling to come to grips with consumer protection demands, and weak civil society.
Yet despite these significant challenges, positive signs have recently emerged. The government has shown both momentum and willingness to innovate and develop the ICT sector, new submarine cable landing points will soon come on stream and a third mobile operator is set to enter the market later in 2014.
You can download the full case study here.
