Backhaul specialist Ceragon Networks Ltd has won a major contract related to communications support for Cameroon’s rail system.
Camrail, which manages the country’s railway system, has selected the Israeli firm for the supply and installation of transmission equipment on the Douala-Ngaoundéré artery. More specifically, Ceragon will provide network equipment, with a strong focus on point-to-point wireless connectivity, that will be mainly used by mobile operators and wireless service providers as well as private companies.
According to Cameroon press reports, Ceragon was selected at the end of an international call for tenders organized within the framework of Camrail’s major multimodal transport project (which incorporates both rail and road).
Details on the specifics of the equipment and timescales are not yet available . However, Camrail has puts the value of the contract awarded to Ceragon at XAF1.397 billion ($2.546 million).
Ceragon Networks has been a leading wireless backhaul specialist for over 20 years. Its solutions are deployed by more than 460 service providers, as well as hundreds of private network owners, in more than 130 countries.
Cameroon press reports say that Camrail’s multimodal project is being implemented with financial support from the World Bank and is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of transport along the Yaoundé-Kousseri corridor. The overall financing is worth XAF35 billion ($65.6 million).
According to the Ministry of Public Works, a partner in the project, it is dominated by a road component that will absorb about 74 percent of the financing. The rail transport aspect mentioned earlier will take up some 13 percent of the financing, as will an institutional support component.
