Vodafone and Afrimax extend 4G service agreement to Cameroon

Vodafone and Afrimax agreed to launch 4G services in Cameroon in an extension of a partner market agreement formed between the two companies in 2014.

The two companies will initially launch LTE data services under the Vodafone Cameroon brand in Cameroon’s two biggest cities, Douala and Yaoundé. Vodafone-branded retail stores and kiosks will also be opened in key locations. Afrimax has appointed Antoine Pamboro as CEO of Vodafone Cameroon, which will be headquartered in Douala.

ZTE was selected as the vendor partner for the rollout of the LTE network. In November last year, the Chinese vendor revealed that it had won LTE contracts for Cameroon and Zambia on an exclusive basis from Afrimax. Vodafone and Afrimax said in June that they had agreed to launch 4G services in Zambia.

Netherlands-based Afrimax launched in 2010 and has built up a portfolio of TD-LTE spectrum in 12 countries across sub-Saharan African. As part of the partner market relationship with Vodafone, Afrimax has also commercially launched 4G services in Uganda, initially focusing on capital city Kampala and the town of Entebbe.

Earlier this year, a report by Fitch-owned research company BMI Research noted that Uganda, Zambia and Cameroon have rapidly growing telecoms markets and offer attractive long-term growth prospects to Vodafone-Afrimax

Vodafone Partner Markets CEO Diego Massidda said: “The next stage in our agreement with Afrimax for sub-Saharan Africa brings Cameroon to the Vodafone Partner Market family. I am delighted that consumers and businesses in Cameroon will now experience Vodafone’s high-speed data services.”

Vodafone uses non-equity partner market arrangements to target markets where it does not have a presence. Afrimax is an important part of this strategy for the African market. However, Vodafone continues to sign separate agreements with other operators where Afrimax does not have a licence, such as in Botswana, while Afrimax has also launched 4G services under the Busy brand in Ghana.

- see this Vodafone Group release
- see this BMI Research report

Related articles:
Vodafone and Afrimax extend 4G service agreement to Zambia
ZTE wins LTE contracts in Africa from Vodafone partner Afrimax
Vodafone partner Afrimax raises $120M in funding for LTE expansion in Africa