• The government is asking SOTEL and Airtel to amend a 2025 agreement

• The N’Djamena–Mberé route is central to Chad’s international connectivity

• Officials want to reduce the risk of nationwide Internet outages

The Chadian government is seeking changes to an agreement with telecom operators SOTEL and Airtel as it moves to restart work on the N’Djamena–Mberé fiber-optic route, a link seen as vital to the country’s digital connectivity.

The companies signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2025, but the deal was later suspended after authorities raised concerns that some provisions conflicted with principles of digital sovereignty. Work on the route has not yet begun.

During a meeting on April 5, 2025, Boukar Michel, the minister of telecommunications, digital economy, and state digitalization, asked SOTEL to reopen talks with Airtel to revise the disputed clauses. He said the revised terms should better reflect the state’s strategic interests before being formally approved.

Officials said the effort is part of a broader push to strengthen the national telecommunications network, improve service reliability, and ensure that infrastructure projects comply with security and public interest requirements.

The N’Djamena–Mberé corridor links the Chadian capital to the Cameroonian border, currently the country’s sole access point to international Internet capacity via undersea cables. Under a separate agreement signed in May 2025, Cameroon committed to bringing into service the Nana–Mberé segment of the route.

Relying on a single-entry point has left Chad exposed to disruptions. In October 2024, a technical failure cut Internet access nationwide for more than 24 hours. Smaller outages have occurred since, reinforcing concerns about the country’s digital resilience.

To reduce that vulnerability, Chad is also exploring alternative connections, including the Trans-Saharan Fiber Optic Backbone project, which would link the country to submarine cables in the Mediterranean and Atlantic through a network spanning West and North Africa. Authorities have also pursued closer ties with Libya and Egypt, with Egypt standing out as Africa’s most connected country to undersea cable systems.

Isaac K. Kassouwi