The mobile phone market in Chad is dominated by two players: Airtel and Moov Africa. At the start of 2025, they shared a base of 14.7 million mobile subscribers and 2.74 million internet users, according to DataReportal data.

Airtel Chad plans to invest 50 billion CFA francs (approximately $89.68 million) in its network by the end of June 2026 to improve the quality of services provided to consumers. A delegation from the operator, led by CEO Brahim Nallar (pictured, center), presented the investment plan to the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) at a meeting held on Thursday, September 18.

According to ARCEP, the project will be implemented in three phases. Initially, within a month, Airtel plans to increase the capacity of its microwave links, replace end-of-life generators, improve 4G at 89 sites, increase the capacity of the N’Djamena network to 100G, and modernize SOTEL’s fiber.

The second phase, scheduled for the end of January 2026, will involve the deployment of optical fiber to connect Massakory, Ati, Dop Dop and Abéché, the extension of radio coverage to 306 additional sites and the continuation of the metropolitan fiber project in N’Djamena.

Finally, the last stage, set for June 2026, will consist of building 114 new sites to cover areas not yet served, extending 4G to 170 sites, deploying fiber between Massakory and Rig Rig, as well as establishing an axis linking N’Djamena to Sarh via Dourbali and Bousso. It will also include replacing the core network supplied by Ericsson with new Huawei equipment.

This announcement comes amid a continued deterioration in the quality of telecom services in Chad, which has been the subject of fierce consumer criticism. “For several months, subscribers have been experiencing a worrying deterioration in mobile services: calls that don’t go through, slow internet, constant outages… Despite reminders, formal notices, and promises of investment, operators remain deaf to subscribers’ cries of distress ,” the regulator recently denounced.

To force operators to meet their obligations, ARCEP launched the fifteenth national quality of service audit this week, with penalties for non-compliance. Airtel had already been fined 5 billion CFA francs in August 2023, after an audit that highlighted a “significant deterioration in network quality” and noted non-compliance with its investment commitments. 

Source: Agence Ecofin