Chad Issues Ultimatum to Moov and Airtel Over Poor Network Quality
This ultimatum underscores the government's resolve to hold the operators accountable and accelerate the country's digital infrastructure development.
The Chadian government has issued a stern warning to the country’s two largest mobile operators, Moov Africa Tchad and Airtel Tchad , over the persistent poor quality of their network services. The ultimatum was delivered during a meeting on August 27, 2025, led by the Minister of Telecommunications, Digital Economy and Digitalization of the Administration, Dr. Boukar Michel. The meeting also included officials from the national regulator, ARCEP, and the state-owned fiber infrastructure company, Safitel.
Dr. Michel expressed his deep dissatisfaction, stating that despite previous commitments from the operators, the quality of services across the country remains corrupted. A key point of contention for the Minister was the operators’ failure to connect to the state’s newly installed 1275 km of operational fiber optic cable, a project developed under the Modernization and Improvement of Electronic Communications Infrastructure (PMICE) initiative. Dr. Michel warned that the government’s priority is citizen satisfaction and signaled the potential entry of a third mobile operator into the market to increase competition.
The Director General of ARCEP, Hamid Abakar Adoum Haggar, corroborated the Minister’s claims, asserting that network quality is continuously deteriorating. He noted that the operators’ recurring excuse of fuel shortages for their sites is no longer acceptable, given the repeated promises of investment that have not materialized. In response, ARCEP will commission an independent audit to assess the network’s true quality. The General Manager of Safitel, Haliki Choua Mahamat, confirmed that the fiber infrastructure in the eastern part of the country is fully available, but operators have yet to show any desire to connect.
In a strong message, Dr. Michel issued two direct instructions to the operators. First, they must immediately strengthen their equipment to boost bandwidth. Second, they have been given a one-week deadline to coordinate with Safitel and the ARCEP to sign a commercial contract to connect to the new fiber network. This ultimatum underscores the government’s resolve to hold the operators accountable and accelerate the country’s digital infrastructure development.
