• Airtel Tchad to invest $89.7M to improve telecom network by 2026
• Three-phase plan includes 4G, fiber rollout, Huawei core upgrade
• Follows regulator pressure, prior fine over poor service quality

Chad's telecom operator Airtel Tchad plans to invest 50 billion CFA francs (about $89.68 million) in its network by the end of June 2026 to improve service quality for consumers. A delegation from the company, led by CEO Brahim Nallar, presented the investment plan to the Electronic Communications and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) at a meeting on Thursday, September 18.

Three-Phase Investment Plan

According to ARCEP, the project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase, slated to be completed within one month, involves strengthening the capacity of its microwave links, replacing aging generators, upgrading 89 sites to 4G, increasing the N'Djamena network capacity to 100G, and modernizing SOTEL's fiber.

The second phase, scheduled for completion by the end of January 2026, will focus on deploying fiber optics to connect the cities of Massakory, Ati, Dop Dop, and Abéché. This phase also includes extending radio coverage to 306 additional sites and continuing the metropolitan fiber project in N'Djamena.

The final stage, set for June 2026, will involve building 114 new sites to cover underserved areas, expanding 4G to 170 sites, deploying fiber between Massakory and Rig Rig, and establishing a new fiber route linking N'Djamena to Sarh via Dourbali and Bousso. It will also include replacing the core network, currently provided by Ericsson, with new Huawei equipment.

Mounting Pressure from Regulators

This announcement comes amid a continuous decline in the quality of telecom services in Chad, which has drawn sharp criticism from consumers. "For several months, subscribers have been suffering from a worrying degradation of mobile services: calls that don't go through, slow internet, incessant cuts... Despite reminders, formal notices, and promises of investment, the operators remain deaf to the subscribers' cry for help," the regulator recently lamented.

To compel operators to meet their obligations, ARCEP launched its fifteenth national audit of service quality this week, with the threat of sanctions for non-compliance. Airtel was previously fined 5 billion CFA francs in August 2023 after a previous audit highlighted a "notorious degradation of network quality" and revealed that the company had failed to meet its investment commitments.

Isaac K. Kassouwi