Mobile Phones: What has 3G changed

In the beginning was Nexttel, the third operator on the market of mobile telephony in Cameroon that benefited from the exclusivity of 3G technology for an entire year. Then came MTN and Orange respectively occupying the first and second places in terms of market share in this sector.

It was March 11, 2015 for MTN Cameroon and March 13, 2015 for Orange Cameroon that the new licenses were acquired by these two operators which gave them permission to join their competitor in the operation of 3G and 3G + since March. All operators now have the same tool: 3G.

The advent of 3G technology in the mobile phone sector was introduced as a qualifying jump. "Each new generation is assessed based on the amount of data that can be transmitted or received per unit time," explained by a telecommunications expert. Thus, the transition from 2G to 3G has mostly been presented to subscribers as synonymous with speed in access to the internet (especially mobile), fluency in telephone calls (less network interference), and the provision of innovative services (new mobile application development).

For the latter, subscribers expect from the 3G to consult pharmacies guide on their phone, follow a remote medical consultation and many other services offered by specific applications.

Three months later, what became the promises of 3G? Are mobile phone subscribers reaching their contacts without inconvenience? Mobile Internet connection is also faster than expected? And mobile applications?

It is difficult to have unanimous answers on these issues. Each subscriber will be asked about his experience before and after the announcement of the move to 3G. For some, the magic worked. For others, nothing has changed. And there is also this other part of the opinion that discovers the "high price" to pay to afford a broadband connection.

Except that this was not much explained, access to the benefits of 3G has a cost for the applicant who must have the support (smartphone) to match. So, the sales of mobile phones receptive to this technology have experienced a boom like the download activity of videos (music, movies) because even in the era of 3G, one can continue to be limited to calls and SMS if the phone does not fit or if you do not pay the access rights that the subscriber should hope for in that commercial battle over value-added service offerings accompanied by a substantial drop in prices affordable to all.

On the side of the telecommunications industry regulator, subscribers’ complaints keep coming. The Agency has also summoned the three operators (Orange, MTN, Nexttel) on April 17, to discuss the urgent measures taken by them to end the inconveniences suffered by subscribers. Following this meeting, the regulator had, among others, recommended that operators perform tests in peak hours to favour the sharing of infrastructure by the use of fiber optic Backbone of Camtel and fill each site with a backup power source.

The operators' side, the establishment of infrastructure that would deploy the technology continues as MTN announced last March that 3G would be available in 16 cities in the first year of operation of its new license with investments of FCFA 4000 billion on the operating life of 15 years.

For the market leader in mobile telephony in Cameroon (See Top 500 best African companies in 2015 by Jeune Afrique), projections to 2018 in terms of 3G network coverage are set at 75% of the population and infrastructure deployment continues.

Meanwhile, subscribers already riding the 3G have the first reviews read at this instance.