MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon, two of the nation’s largest telecom providers, have been fined a total of $4.6 million (2.6 billion francs CFA) by the Cameroon Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) for failing to meet their licence requirements for coverage and quality of service.
The nation’s telecom regulator said in a public statement on Monday that the development is a major step in maintaining consumer rights and implementing service quality standards in the quickly changing digital industry.
Tough measures to curb poor service delivery
In recent months, TRB has promised to take tough measures against big players like state-owned Camtel, MTN Cameroon, and Orange Cameroon.
The operators have been under fire for everything from irregular SIM card registration procedures to insufficient network coverage.
According to Philémon Zoo Zame, the director general of the regulator, the penalties are the result of several inspections conducted by TRB agents between April and May 2024.
Important national corridors like Kyé-Ossi and Yaounde, Mbalmayo, Ebolowa, Mintom, and Ntam, as well as the cities of Yaounde and Douala, were the sites of the inspections.
Investigations were carried out at the Douala headquarters of both telcos, he added, with an emphasis on pricing practices.
Following the inspection, TRB found that MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon had both fallen short of crucial contractual obligations and that their network coverage in a number of critical areas was below the necessary standards.
Due to the findings, the regulator fined Orange Cameroon $2.5 million (1.4 billion francs CFA) and MTN Cameroon $1.8 million (1 billion francs) for breaches of their service quality and network coverage commitments.
“By taking this action, TRB is sending a strong message to mobile network operators that laxity in meeting regulatory obligations will not be tolerated,” Zame said.
Orange Cameroon was also fined an additional $357,600 (200 million francs CFA) for violating pricing regulations, and other infractions were found pertaining to value-added services opt-out codes not working properly.
Transparency and fairness were further questioned when the communications regulator pointed out pricing irregularities.
Efforts to ensure access to high-quality services
In addition to being a development imperative, Zame emphasised that the development is supported by the need to guarantee consistent access to high-quality telecom services.
The penalties have taken a similar course as they did two years prior. Four telecom companies were fined a total of 6 billion CFA francs ($9.7 million) by the TRB in 2023 for persistent network coverage and quality-of-service issues.
At $3.5 million, Orange Cameroon was hit with the largest penalty, followed by Nexttel ($2.4 million), MTN Cameroon ($2.2 million), and Camtel ($1.2 million).
The crackdown on two of the nation’s largest telecom operators coincides with the regulator’s $52 million debt recovery, but it also shows a commitment to upholding operational rules and providing high-quality service.
Plans to initiate a comprehensive debt recovery operation for more than $52 million in unpaid licence fees and financial penalties from mobile network operators were disclosed by TRP in April.
The strategic action, which has been characterised as a firm step towards enforcing adherence to regulatory standards, is part of the government’s larger effort to promote accountability and competition in the telecom industry.
The unpaid licence fees and penalties for numerous regulatory violations over the years are the cause of the outstanding debts.
The official emphasised that the recovery effort is a strategic initiative to make sure operators follow market regulations and fulfil their licensing obligations.
Additionally, the debt recovery operation supports the government’s larger initiatives to improve governance in the digital economy.
To support Cameroon’s Vision 2035 development agenda—which aims to turn the nation into an emerging economy—the administration of President Paul Biya has made increasing digital infrastructure a top priority.
Although Cameroon has one of the highest mobile penetration rates in Central Africa (87 per cent), a 2024 report by the African Telecommunications Union reveals that the country’s mobile network reliability is lower than that of its regional peers, such as Nigeria and Ghana.
This has pushed the government to invest more in rural connectivity and broadband networks, but plans have been hampered by non-compliance with regulations.