JOURNAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS, VOLUME 34, ISSUE 2, OCTOBER 2016

4G or 3G, Does It Signify an Improvement in

Telecommunication Technology in
Cameroon?
Maurice Ayuketang Nso
Abstract The world of telecommunication technology has products that are yet to be discovered and the ones discovered
are not being exploited to their full capacity with 3G and 4G products not exempted from the category. The main challenge is;
what does 3G and 4G stand for? They represent third and four generation of mobile networks respectively. The question
whether 3G or 4G signifies an improvement in telecom technology was examined using both primary data collected through
the whatsApp social media and secondary data from websites. The paper shows that challenges such as lack of sufficient
product knowledge due to low marketing efforts by telecom operators, lack of required equipments, education, culture, time
and money savings made it difficult to conclude whether 3G or 4G signifies an improvement in telecommunication technology,
although the download and upload speed might have improved. The lack of marketing efforts was evident on the number of
users currently using 4G network which are very few as shown in table 4 in the paper under data presentation, analysis and
interpretation.
KeywordsTechnology, Telecommunication, 3G, 4G

1.1 INTRODUCTION

world of telecommunication technolo(simply put telecom technology) and

Thegyinformation
technology has goods or
products that are yet to be used and / or discovered. Moreover, the products that have
been discovered are yet to function and to be
used and exploited to their full capacities.
The lack of information or product
knowledge and proper marketing of telecommunication products may be contributor
to this.
With some mobile telecommunication operators in Cameroon notably MTN and Orange
making public the availability of and a possibility for users to switch from a 3G to a 4G
mobile internet network, have aggravated the
anxieties of an already excited market of mobile consumers and users in the country. This
notwithstanding they are some challenges
and these include;
- Are the consumers and users aware of the
importance and significance of the 4G
mobile internet network?
- Are the users and would be users aware
of the 4G mobile internet network application requirements in terms of equipment
specificities as to the type of phones or
computers (hand books, note books) or

portable devices to support this telecom

technology application?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the 4G application? In terms
of disadvantages, does it accrue a Franc
CFA or a Dollar spent on mobile internet
services?
What does 4G stand for or communicate?
How is 4G different from 3G?
Who are those consumers currently using
4G?
Is 4G the end of VoIP or just a new beginning?

Can we compare the product performance

in Cameroon to that of other countries e.g.
UK?

all the telecom operators in Cameroon and the research time plan was exceeded just to see how the
information could be accessed if more time was
provided.

These questions and many more seem to be 2 Literature review

left unattended to. They will require a detailed attention and treatment of the subject 3G and 4G Explained
to answer these aforementioned questions
and others thereafter.
To the average consumers, '3G' and '4G' are two
of the most mysterious terms in the mobile tech1.2 Problem Statement
The main problem that necessitated this adhoc re- nology dictionary, but they're used interchangeasearch paper is, that many consumers may not bly and relentlessly to sell phones and tablets. 3G
have understood what 3G is, not to talk of 4G or three G is mobile communications standard that
what they actually signify or mean?
allows mobile phones, computers, and other port1.3 Research Question
Based on the main problem, does 4G or whatever able electronic devices to access the Internet wireit stands and represents signify an improvement in lessly. The 3G standard uses a technology called
Telecommunication Technology in Cameroon?
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System) as its core network architecture. It first
1.4 Objectives
saw the light of day in 2001. (Source:
The overall goal is to clarify the importance /
http://rosewoodkh.net/2016/02/08/3g-networksfunctions of 4G in the IT industry.
architecture-protocols-and-procedures-freeOther objectives of the research are to;
- evaluate if 4G signifies an improvement in download/)
Telecommunication Technology
First things first, the "G" stands for a generation of
- appraise, sensitize and educate consumers mobile technology, installed in phones and on celawareness on the functional requirements and lular networks. Each "G" generally requires you to
get a new phone, and for networks to make expenexpectations of the 4G network application
sive upgrades. The first two were analog cell
- assess the level of preparedness of mobile tel- phones (1G) and digital phones (2G).
ecommunication operators in Cameroon to
Third-generation mobile networks, or 3G, came to
launch a 4G network application
the U.S. in 2003. With minimum consistent Internet speeds of 144Kbps, 3G was supposed to bring
1.5 Limitation and scope
"mobile broadband." There are now so many variConsidering that there are no adequate resources; eties of 3G, though, that a "3G" connection can
time and finances to move around telecommunica- get you Internet speeds anywhere from 400Kbps
tions operators, experts, employees and offices to to more than ten times that.
address key questions and further concerns. The
work was limited to posting survey questions on New generations usually bring new base technolforums or groups created on the whatsApp social ogies, more network capacity for more data per
media. However MTN, Orange and Nexttel agen- user, and the potential for better voice quality, too.
cies and branch offices in Buea, South West Prov- Thus 4G phones are supposed to be even faster,
ince of Cameroon were visited to help improve the but that's not always the case. There are so many
quality of information included in this work technologies called "4G," and so many ways to
though due to their busy schedules not all of them implement them, that the term is almost meaningprovided the researcher with the opportunity to less. The International Telecommunications Union
access required information.
(ITU), a standards body, tried to issue requirements to call a network 4G but they were ignored
1.6 Challenges with the work
by carriers, and eventually the ITU backed down.
The most challenging items in the work were that, 4G technologies include HSPA+ 21/42, the now
there was no proper orientation from the respond- obsolete WiMAX, and Long Term Evolution
ents side as to; what is the aim or purpose of the (LTE), although some considered LTE the only
questions and what will their responses be used true 4G of that bunch, and some people say none
for? However this met the intentions of this re- of them are fast enough to qualify.
search work as a primary adhoc research work.
Secondly the inability to access information from There's a big difference between 4G LTE and oth-

er technologies called "4G" though, and it's most

visible in upload speeds. If you upload a lot of data - posting photos or videos, for instance - you'll
find LTE's upload speeds are far better than those
on HSPA.
There are many different ways to implement LTE,
too, so you can't assume all LTE speeds are the
same. Carriers with more available radio spectrum
for LTE can typically run faster networks than
carriers with less spectrum. This confusion is the
reason why operators run annual Fastest Mobile
Networks story, which tests 3G and 4G networks
in 30 cities nationwide. Early this year the tests,
found out that on speed alone Verizon's 4G LTE
network was the fastest, followed by T-Mobile
LTE, AT&T LTE, T-Mobile HSPA+, Sprint LTE,
AT&T HSPA, Verizon 3G and finally Sprint
3G. (Source: http://lite987.com/what-does-the-gstand-for-with-4g-phones/)

deal with the thousands, and then millions, of consumers who wanted to use mobile phones; the signal could not carry enough data simultaneously,
and there were many areas the signal did not cover. There was also a rapidly growing demand for
transmitting data using email and accessing the
internet across mobiles, which 2G was just not
fast or reliable enough to manage. An intermediate technology sometimes called EDGE or 2.5G
came next, but the technology rapidly moved on
towards proper 3G.
Shopping 3G Equipment:

What does the G represent in 3G and 4G?

A G is a generation of wireless technology.
Each generation offers significantly faster Internet
access than the previous generation, but its incompatible with the previous generationyou
have to upgrade your phone to use it, and carriers
usually have to install new hardware.
The first G was the old analog cellular systems.
2G systems are digital, but slow. Many phones
still use 2G. Internet speeds on 2G phones range
from 9.6 Kbits/s to about 200 Kbps. 3G systems
run from about 384 Kbps towell, well get to
that.

Mobile
Phones

Mobile
Broadband

TabSIM
only

lets

4G What is 4G?

According to Simon Thomas, 2015 Millions of

consumers in the UK are now used to connecting
to the internet whilst on the move via their mobile
phones. While the fastest way to do this is typical3G actually stands for third generation, as it is ly 4G, in many cases consumers are still using 3G.
the third type of access technology that has been
made widely and commercially available for con- What is 4G - Explained in simple terms?
necting mobile phones.
4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone techThe first generation of mobile phones was
launched in the 1980s, and transmitted across an nology that follows on from the existing 3G and
analogue signal; these phones were large, brick- 2G mobile technology. 2G technology launched in
like devices that were often kept in a vehicle as the 1990s and was capable of making digital
they were impractical and inconvenient to carry phone calls and sending
around.
texts. Then 3G came along
They were supplanted by the second generation in in 2003 and made it possible
the 1990s, which now used a more reliable digital to browse web pages, make
signal, and enabled the use of text messaging, or video calls and download
SMS (Short Message Service). However, the music and video on the
technology was still not robust or fast enough to

move.4G technology builds upon what 3G currently offers, but does everything at a much faster
speed. 4G is all the rage these days and at this
point most people probably know that its faster
than 3G, but theres a whole lot more to it than
that. So for a rundown of all the benefits, how to
get 4G, exactly how fast it is and what the future
holds read on, because weve got an easily digestible guide to everything you need to know.
The Importance and Benefits of 4G Network
If you like to surf the Web and especially stream
video, 4G can be heaven. If you connect a laptop
to your mobile link, 4G makes a huge difference.
In general, anything involving transferring large
amounts of data gets a big boost from 4G. Watch
out for the data limits on your service plan,
though; it's easy to use up a lot of data very quickly with 4G. Whereas if you have a 3G phone and
you've been frustrated with slow data, 4G may be
the solution. 4G won't solve any dropped call
problems, though, as all calls will be made over
older networks until carriers switch to voice-overLTE during the next few years. Finally, if you
want to future-proof yourself, get a 4G phone. 4G
coverage is only going to get better, and that's
where the carriers are spending most of their money right now. You can assume that all 4G phones
also support your carrier's 3G and 2G networks as
well.
However there are few reasons you might still settle for a 3G phone. If your phone is mostly for
voice use, you have no need for 4G data. Save
money and save battery life by choosing a device
without
the
high-speed
network
(source:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,23
99984,00.asp).
The benefits of 4G fall firmly into three categories. These are:

improved download/upload speeds

reduced latency

crystal clear voice calls

Improved Download / Upload speeds

Standard 4G (or 4G (Long Term Evolution) LTE)
is around five to seven times faster than 3G, offering theoretical speeds of up to 150Mbps. That
equates to maximum potential speeds of around
80Mbps in the real world. For example, you can
download a 2GB HD film in 3 minutes 20 seconds
on a standard 4G mobile network, while it would
take over 25 minutes on a standard 3G network.

not seem that significant on paper. However, they

can make a significant difference when playing
online games and streaming live video. Find out
more about the benefits of gaming.
Telecommunication Products Evaluation in the
UK
The development of 3G services in the early years
of the 21st century was a major step forward both
in terms of reliability and UK coverage for voice
calls and text messaging, as well as providing far
more rapid access to the internet due to its capability of carrying larger amounts of data. (Source:
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2012/3g-what-is-3gexplained-in-simple-terms.html)
The four main UK mobile operators (EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three) all currently offer 4G in the
UK. Coverage and speeds differ vastly between
Download speeds arent the only thing that has the operators, but they all now have an active 4G
been improved, because 4G also has a better re- network and offer 4G tariffs to their customers.
sponse time than 3G due to lower latency.
This means that a device connected to a 4G mo- There are other 4G operators, called Mobile Virbile network will get a quicker response to a re- tual Network Operators (MVNOs), who essentialquest than the same device connected to a 3G mo- ly piggyback onto the main 4G mobile operators
networks and offer their own mobile services.
bile network.
These include Tesco Mobile and GiffGaff, which
both use O2s 4G network, and ASDA Mobile,
which uses EEs 4G network.
Reduced Latency

While 3G is still widely used by people in the UK

it is no longer the fastest or newest method of carrying mobile data as its been superseded by 4G.
This was first rolled out in 2012 by EE and now
all of the major UK networks offer it to some extent. 4G is typically around five times faster than
3G, however while coverage is now extensive its
still more limited than 3G and certain older and
cheaper phones dont support it. Many MVNOs,
such as Virgin Mobile, also dont support 4G just
yet.
(Source:
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2012/3g-what-is-3gexplained-in-simple-terms.html)
So whether youre not on a 4G contract, not in a
The improved latency times, reduced from 120 4G signal area or not using a phone which supmilliseconds (3G) to 60 milliseconds (4G), may ports 4G youll be relying on 3G at least some of
the time. But within the next few years its ex-

pected that 4G will reach the majority of the UK

and at that point 3G could become a rarely used
technology. In fact, already EE has brought 4G to
over 93% of the UK and all the major networks
now have over 60% population coverage, so 3Gs
days really could be numbered.

networks should be able to exceed the speed of

even your home broadband connection; 4G could
potentially provide mobile devices with the capability to download at 100 MB per second, which is
probably some ten times the speed your home
broadband connection can ever achieve. In reality, access speeds are likely to be somewhat lower
than 100 MB, but even so are likely to be a significant improvement on current mobile access
speeds. In trials in the US, average 4G mobile
broadband speeds of around 7 MB per second
have been achieved.
Who Sets the 4G Standards?
4G technology is meant to provide what is known
as ultra-broadband access for mobile devices,
and the International Telecommunications UnionRadio communications sector (ITU-R) created a
set of standards that networks must meet in order
to be considered 4G, known as the International
Mobile Telecommunications Advanced (IMTAdvanced) specification.

Source: Jon321 on 17th February 2012

A new even faster version of 4G is already available in many parts of the UK called 4G LTEAdvanced (also known as LTE-A, 4.5G or 4G+).
Even further ahead theres 5G, which is already
being developed and there are aims to roll it out
by 2020 and deliver drastically faster speeds than
you could ever hope to see on 4G.
4G Product Expectation and Evaluation
The international regulatory and standardization
organization (the ITU, or International Telecommunications Union) that oversees the telecommunications industry has set a target of between 2012
and 2015 for 4G mobile broadband networks to be
commercially available in the US and Europe.
(Source:
http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2012/4gwhat-is-4g-explained-in-simple-terms.html) The
term 4G references to a new speed standard in
Internet connectivity. 4G should provide considerably faster internet access across mobile devices;
in practical terms, webpages will download much
faster, and it will become feasible to download
audio, video, and apps across a mobile connection,
none of which is advisable with 3G. In fact, 4G

What are the 4G Standards?

First, 4G networks must be based on an all Internet Protocol (IP) packet switching instead of circuit-switched technology, and use OFMDA multicarrier transmission methods or other frequencydomain equalization (FDE) methods instead of
current spread spectrum radio technology. In addition, peak data rates for 4G networks must be
close to 100 megabit per second for a user on a
highly mobile network and 1 gigabit per second
for a user with local wireless access or a nomadic
connection. True 4G must also be able to offer
smooth handovers across differing networks without data loss and provide high quality of service
for next-gen media.
One of the most important aspects of 4G technology is the elimination of parallel circuit-switched
and packet-switched network nodes using Internet
Protocol version 6 (IPv6). The currently used
standard, IPv4, has a finite limitation on the number of IP addresses that can be assigned to devices, meaning duplicate addresses must be created
and reused using network address translation
(NAT), a solution that only masks the problem
instead of definitively solving it. IPv6 provides a

10

much larger number of available addresses, and 4G, so the official definition is now useless in
will be instrumental in providing a streamlined practical terms.
experience for users
4G Product Improvement Evaluation Criteria
A UNESCO training workshop presentation in
Cairo, Egypt in September 2009, defined innovation as the implementation of a new or significantly improved product (good or service), or process,
The 4G Confusion
a new marketing method, or a new organisational
method in business practices, workplace organisaThere are a number of providers currently on the tion or external relations whereas Product innovamarket claiming they can answer the what is tion was defined as the introduction of a good or
4G? question, but first-release versions of 4G service that is new or significantly improved with
respect to its characteristics or intended uses. This
networks did not meet the standards set out by the includes significant improvements in technical
ITU-R.(Source:
specifications, components and materials, incorpohttp://www.whatsag.com/G/4G_VoIP.php). Gen- rated software, user friendliness or other functionerally, these networks are considered stop-gap al characteristics.
measures until new versions of existing technolo- Whereas others view innovation as a process of
turning opportunities into new ideas (Drucker,
gy can be deployed, but were still advertised as 1993, Tidd et al., 1997), adoption of these ideas
being 4G. These almost-4G networks were often within the organizations (Zeltman et al. 1973,
called 3.9G because they differ significantly Damanpour, 19991) and successful applications of
from what is available on the market but do not the resulting novelties (Pries and Janzsen 1995)
quite meet ITU-R standards. In many cases, these such that they provide value to the organization.
Smashing Magazine in 2015 published, the rela3.9G systems were based on new radio-interface tive advantage measures how improved an innovaparadigms, use different frequency bands than ex- tion is over a competing option or the previous
isting networks and are not backwards compatible generation of a product. Potential users need to see
with
3G
solutions.(Source: how an innovation improves their current situahttp://www.whatsag.com/G/4G_VoIP.php).
4G tion. Improvement can be in one or many of these
areas: 1) better service, 2) consolidation of multisystems are also all-IP. Down the road, theyll ple functions into one tool, 3) decreased need for
be able to replace the old circuit-switched voice supplies and equipment, 4) empowerment of usphone calling with voice-over-IP systems. ers, 5) improved interface, 6) increased customizability, 7) increased longevity, 8) increased
[SOURCE: PC MAGAZINE]
productivity, 9) reduced user effort, 10) reduced
environmental impact, 11) saving of money, 12)
Whats 4G like?
saving of space or storage and 13) Saving of time.
4G is like pay- Based on these aforementioned product improvecharacteristics one can better evaluate if 4G
ing a speedy ment
network advocated by MTN Cameroon S.A signicourier to de- fies an improvement in Telecommunication Techliver the mail nology in Cameroon.
for you. For
consumers, 4G 3 Methodology
is
mostly Survey sources used, consisted of two main
about Internet sources of data. Secondary data consisted mainly
speeds. If you of reviewing existing literature on Telecommunidon't
care cation Technology and information technology
about the Web from various websites.
speeds on your Meanwhile primary data took the form of primary
phone or modem, then you probably don't care opened questions posted on WhatsApp social meabout 4G. There's actually no widely accepted def- dia groups or forums. Based on the responses to
inition of "4G." The ITU, a global standards body, the primary questions further survey questions
recently formally defined 4G to exclude every ex- known as secondary questions were asked to asisting technology that anyone is claiming to be certain and concretize facts on the subject. Also

11

further data was collected from observation visits

and survey questions to MTN, Orange and Nexttel
agencies and branch offices in Buea.
The most fascinating situation in the collection of
data was that some of the respondents voluntarily
submitted audio responses which could be listened
to.
4 Data Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation:

Respondents responses on what does 4G and 3G

stand for and mean? Are shown below in Table 2.
Table 2: Respondents responses on what does
4G and 3G stand for and mean?
Groups
Career Insights

4.1 Presentation of Data Sources

The primary survey questions were;
1) What does 4G and 3G stand for and mean?
2) How is 3G different from 4G?
3) If you are a user of 4G please indicate.
The sample size consisted of existing groups or
forums created on WhatsApp social media. The
groups, group main activity, size and number of
respondents are as follows;
Table 1: Presentation of Data Sources

CBT
INFO
CENTRE

Group
Name

Group
main Activity

Group
Size

Total
Number of
respondents

Percentage
of respondents (%)

Career
Insights

Career
Network

30

09

30

accpa

Cameroon
Chapter

Compliance
news and
Networking

15

01

6.67

CBT INFO
CENTRE

Information
exchange
among
lecturers
and staff

19

The Tabernacle of
God

Word sharing, Leadership and

Networking

70

08

11.43

LIVING
IN
THE
LIGHT

Word sharing,
and
Training

109

00

00

05

accpa Cameroon Chapter

The Tabernacle
of God

Reponses
G refers to generational evolution in network capacities
-

3G means third generation network

4G means fourth generation network

3G a network brings internet + voice + Calls +

Video Calls
Assuming that this is in reference to cell
phones. 3G and 4G refer to the speed at
which cell phones process information
such as downloading a photo or connecting to the web. The G means gigabytes of
data per second.
G stands for generation and the number in
front of the G gives the evolution, so 4G
means 4th Generation
-

Just an advancement in technology; 3

Generation, fourth generation respectively

G stands for GPRS, so 3G is the

3General packet radio service (GPRS)

3G means the third generation of mobile

telephone technology. It uses the Universal Mobile Telecommunication system
and is based on GSM standards

3G provides data transfer rates 384

kbit/second. But depending upon how is
implemented in various networks, the data
rate can go up to 42Mbits/second.

Usually 3G is faster than EDGE and you

can easily browse websites and stream
music

Nil

26.32

LIVING
IN
THE LIGHT

From Table 1, it can be observed that the

whatsApp groups or forums with the highest number of respondents was Career Insights followed From Table 2 presented above, it is evident that
by CBT INFO CENTRE and The Tabernacle of 3G or 4G refers to third or fourth generation of
mobile networks. The G means the Generation
God.
and the 3 or 4 states the evolution or advancement
of the mobile network generation gigabytes of da4.2 Data Analysis
ta per second. Thus we should expect a 4G mobile
network to generate faster internet, clearer calls
4.2.1 Analysis of Survey Questions
The primary survey questions are presented and and higher download speeds than a 3G mobile
network.
analyzed as follows;
1) What does 4G and 3G stand for and mean? 2) How is 3G different from 4G?

12

See data presented on Table 3 showing respondents responses on how 3G is different from 4G
below.
Table 3: Respondents Responses on how is 3G
different from 4G?
Groups
Career Insights

accpa Cameroon
Chapter

CBT INFO CENTRE

Response
3G uses separate transition channels
to handle the various transmission
signals that is internet, Voice and
Video while 4G with the use of OPTIC Fiber technology, all signals are
sent via one transmission
-

4 G is fasters and better than 3G

It means that a 3G phone is slower

than a 4G phone because the 4G
phones downloads 1 gigabyte of data
faster than the 3G. This phenomenon
can also apply to cellular network
plans. Certain cellular network plans
are faster than others. In general,
you should always go for the bigger
G so that you can enjoy a speedy
experience on your phone. There is
also 5G for the iPhone 6. In a nutshell the bigger the G, the faster the
phone internet.
But there are more explanation to
that. What makes one different from
the other in terms of capacity and
workability

The Tabernacle of
God

4G is designed for faster home connections which is made possible

with
our
computers
through
smartphones. And can only be wireless. 3G also can give connections to
your computer but its too slow.

Note that all smartphones support

this technology

Now if you see 4G on your phone

you are very lucky

4G is the fourth generation of mobile technology. It is also called LTE

(Long term evolution).

4G connection works as good as a

Wi-Fi connection of your home or
office with such a connection you
can do everything on your mobile
phone that you can do on your desktop

LIVING IN THE
LIGHT

To round up, the bars in the signal

show the strength or quality of the
signal you get at a given location.

Phone makers used a dull colour

(grey) to show weak or absent signal
and a bright colour (green and blue)
to show good signal

Nil

From the table 3 above the respondents stated that

the main difference of 3G and 4G network should
be that a 4G mobile internet network should be
faster than a 3G mobile internet network. Also
some respondents from CBT INFO CENTRE stated that all smartphones should support the 3G and
4G technologies. However an interesting observation was made by accpa Cameroon chapter that a
respondent stated that some countries such as the
United States of America are already using a 5G
network with the help of iPhone 6.
3) If you are a user of 4G please indicate.
Table 4 below pictured the number of 4G network
users indicated in a group.
Table 4: Number of 4G users in a Group
Groups

Number
of
Responses

Total number of respondents

Career
Insights
accpa

Cameroon
Chapter
CBT INFO
CENTRE
The Tabernacle of God
LIVING IN
THE LIGHT
Group totals

Percentage
(%) of users
of 4G network
0

100

20

13

23

13.04

From table 4 above very few respondents are currently using 4G mobile network. The percentage
of users currently using 4G mobile network is
13.04 percent. Meaning approximately1person is
currently using 4G mobile network in every 8 users of mobile internet network.
4.2.2 Analysis of Secondary Questions
Based on responses to the three (3) primary questions, secondary questions were administered.
These questions are presented below and ana-

13

lyzed;
1) Please in which countries do we have the 5G
for the iPhone 6 in operations? According to
one member from the group -accpa Cameroon Chapter-, to the best of his knowledge 5G
for the iPhone 6 is being used in the United
States of American already.
2) Any disadvantages with the 4G network?
According to a member of The Tabernacle of
God forum, no loopholes have been noticed
yet.
3) Which Mobile network operator in Cameroon is currently offering 4G services? Respondents from The Tabernacle of God, Career Insights and CBT INFO CENTRE forums
indicated that only MTN currently offers 4G
services in Cameroon.
4) What advice do you have to offer for mobile
phone users to switch from 3G to 4G? A
member from The Tabernacle of God pointed
that it depends on the users zone of residence
to be able to use either 3G or 4G, pointing current network issues as the reason for being indifferent to offer an advice.
5) What is your worries with mobile telephone
network Operators in Cameroon? According to a member from the Career Insight forum, his worries with mobile telephones network operators in Cameroon is that they dont
have a good marketing strategy to sell the xG
technology (the x refers to either 3 or 4 G
technology). In his opinion they should look
for one application that brings out the importance of 4G to a common man, instead of
just posting and posting 4G product fliers.
6) Old age for old man, this 4G, man must
switch? Here people pointed out that internet
expenses, education level of the users, location, culture and even age and occupation /
profession pose challenges to as the reason
people may or may not switch or upgrade to
4G.
4.3 Interpretation
The fewer number of users currently using the 4G

network which stands at 13.04% of 4G users could

be as a result of the fact that consumers do not
know the benefits of 4G over 3G and the lack of
sufficient product knowledge perhaps due to low
marketing efforts by the telecom operator offering
the product. Other reasons may include education,
culture, waste of time and money savings, the
product and service reliability, lack of a smooth
switching process from 3G to 4G, and the absence
of the required mobile phones to use the 4G technology.
5 Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion
5.1 Findings
The 4G in itself poses some real problems; one is
the fact that telecommunication operators need to
provide users with new sim cards although maintaining the same number as MTN is doing. Secondly the new sim cards were not manufactured at
cost Zero FCFA, Also it requires time and some
sort of manual work for users to queue up awaited
to be attended to and to be served. In this regard
some telecommunication operators e.g. MTN has
deployed sales and service agents / assistance /
officers in strategic business locations such as
Catholic University Institute of Buea (CUIB) to
get faculties, staff and students served new sim
cards with the 4G activated. Considering the general tendency with varying internet rate levels and
service time, the activation process cannot be concluded within seconds or one minute.
According to one industry expert there is no much
difference between 4G and 3G except at the level
of download and upload speeds. A statement
found to be true with the helped of the surveyed
data. People argued that if the 4G download and
upload speeds are not commensurate and more
than that of 3G, then it is a 4G on paper and on
icons. An issue which consumers league has
made public in court (Amindeh Blaise Atabong,
January 19, 2016), although the same writer in
February 08, 2016 stated that Cameroon Telecoms
Regulator Back-Pedals to confirm MTNs 4G after a technical visit at MTN office in Douala as
shown in picture 1 below.

14

"Telecoms Regulator Back-Pedals, Confirms MTNs

4G" (Amindeh Blaise Atabong, February 08,
2016)
Picture 1: TRB director general (in hat) inspecting
technical installations at MTN office in Douala

Cameroon Journal, Douala Officials of Cameroon government`s own Telecommunications

Regulatory Board (TRB) have confirmed the effective launch of 4G network by MTN Cameroon.
The TRB had in an official statement on January
7, told Cameroon consumers that the advertised
4G network was a hoax, that it was not yet available in Cameroon. However, after visiting MTNs
installations in Douala on Wednesday February 3,
the TRB delegation said; We had the opportunity
to see MTNs equipment and a demonstration of
the precision with which things are done. We also
learnt that a certain number of MTN clients were
already using the 4G technology. This means that
4G is already technically operational at MTN,
Jean Louis Beh Mengue, Director General of TRB
(in hat) said, formerly confirming the reality of 4G
LTE by MTN in Cameroon.
Some respondents were of the opinion that telecom operators in Cameroon may possess the licence to run 4G network but argued that some if
not all of the telecom operators do not possess the
4G required equipments, resources and infrastructure and the required mobile phones to support the
4G technology. Thus according to one opinion In
Cameroon we do not have the application or
phones to support the 4G technology.

Also it was discovered that from the same antennas 4G, 3G and 2G can be sectorial diffused within a region because not every person may have
need to use the 4G or 3G so network traffic could
be managed to ensure readily available improved
internet to users in a locality.
Lastly people expressed their dissatisfaction with
telecom services marketing efforts as they stated
that telecom operators do not do enough marketing activities to provide users with product
knowledge on their products and services before,
during and after launching a product. This pose
its own challenges as consumers are unable to
evaluate the product benefits, advantages, disadvantages to ascertain whether a new product signifies an improvement on or from existing products.
These reasons may be contributors to the low
number of consumers using the 4 network
amongst the sampled groups on whatsApp, which
gave an overall 13.04% of 4G current users.
5.2 Suggestions
- A lot of marketing efforts are required to increase the knowledge of the users with the 4G
products.
- Automation processes need to be done to selfactivate or auto-update sim cards from a 3G to
a 4G network without any requirement on the
physical presence of the users and service
agents. It is wasteful in terms of money and
time to just replace an old sim card with a new
sim for the sake of a switch from a 3G to a 4G.
This will automatically maintain the contacts
in the sim without any migration or transfer of
contacts from the old sim to the phone in lieu
to avoid contact losses.
5.3 Conclusion
- 4G perhaps with time can reflect an improvement in Telecommunication Technology, but
at the moment it simply signifies an improvement in internet rate. That is from a fast 3G to
a faster 4G internet.
- According to one member of Career Insights,
I have never heard of an update even where a
software is bad, I think that updates or updating always bring something new and something new is being made to be good and make
life easier. This view was contradicted by
some observers who voiced that most phones

15

in Cameroon cant support the 4G technology. [15] http://www.yoomee.cm/4ga/en/

One observer from France stated clearly that [16] http://www.mtnturbospeed.cm/
the issue of 4G and 3G is complicated. The [17] MTN 4G LTE IS HERE:
problem is a global one, not just unique to
https://www.facebook.com/MTNCAMEROO
Cameroonians.
N/videos/1069164146450727/
[18] http://news.cameroonTo conclude the number of consumers currenttoday.com/cameroon-telecommunicationly using the 4G mobile network which stands
alvarion-to-implement-4g-africa-in-cameroonat 13.04% could be improved through sales
africa/1570/
and marketing efforts to educate users on the [19] https://broadband.ee.co.uk/
benefits of the product as well as ensuring a [20] Consumers League Drags Orange, MTN,
smooth switching process from 3G to 4G netART to Court Over 4G By Amindeh Blaise
work.
Atabong, January 19, 2016 published by Cameroon Daily Journal:
6 References
http://cameroonjournal.com/nationalnews/consumers-league-drags-orange-mtn-art[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,23999
to-court-over-4g/
84,00.asp
[21] Telecoms Regulator Back-Pedals, Con[2] http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Feb2012/4g-what-isfirms MTNs 4G By Amindeh Blaise Ata4g-explained-in-simple-terms.html
bong, February 08, 2016 published by Came[3] http://www.whatsag.com/G/4G_VoIP.php
roon Daily Journal:
[4] [SOURCE: PC MAGAZINE]
http://cameroonjournal.com/business/telecoms
[5] Manley, K. (2005) BRITE Innovation Sur-regulator-back-pedals-confirms-mtns-4g/
vey Icon.Net Pty Ltd
[22] Orange Cameroon explains its poor service
[6] Dikmen, I., Birgonul, M.T. and Artuk, U. S.,
quality:
(2005), Integrated framework to investigate
http://cameroonjournal.com/business/orangevalue innovations, ASCE Journal of Mancameroon-explains-its-poor-service-quality/
agement in Engineering, 21(2005): 81-90.
[23] MTN Refutes CONAC Indictment, Says it
[7] https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2015/01/
Does Clean Business By Mbom Sixfive-characteristics-of-innovations/
tus, January 22, 2016 published by Cameroon
[8] Source: http://www.ask.com/technology/3gDaily Journal:
stand-122d2e233cd390a
http://cameroonjournal.com/business/mtn[9] What
does
3G
mean?
refutes-conac-indictment-says-it-does-cleanhttp://www.abbreviations.com/3G
business/
[10] What
Does
3G
stands
for? [24] Call Box Operators Decry Telehttp://www.ask.com/technology/3g-standphone/Internet Providers duplicity By Mbom
122d2e233cd390a
Sixtus, November 18, 2015 published by
[11] International Telecommunications UnionCameroon
Daily
Journal:
Radio communications sector (ITU-R) website
http://cameroonjournal.com/national[12] UNESCO Website
news/call-box-operators-decry[13] http://ee.co.uk/ee-and-me/whytelephoneinternet-providers-duplicity/
ee/network/mobile-coverage
[25] (Source:
http://rosewoodkh.net/2016/02/08/3g[14] http://opensignal.com/networks/cameroon/
mtn-cameroon-coverage

16

networks-architecture-protocols-andprocedures-free-download/)
Maurice Ayuketang Nso, MBA 2010, BSc 2003
is currently an Assistant Lecturer in Banking and
Finance with the Catholic University Institute of
Buea (CUIB), Cameroon. In the past he has lectured with the Pan African Institute for Development West Africa (PAID WA) Buea, Camerron.
He is author of the Book; Introduction to General
Accounting an Illustrattive text. His current research interests are in; social and development finance, compliance, finance and risk management.