Following a wide-ranging technical audit conducted in Yaoundé, Douala and Bafoussam, as well as along three major road corridors, Cameroon’s telecommunications regulator has ordered the country’s three mobile network operators to remedy identified shortcomings within fifteen days. A follow-up inspection is scheduled and could lead to sanctions for non-compliant operators.

Dropped calls, choppy voice quality, erratic data speeds, and network coverage that disappears as soon as users leave urban centers: for most mobile subscribers in Cameroon, deteriorating service quality is no longer a perception but a daily reality. Against this backdrop, the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) on 10 November 2026 published the results of a large-scale compliance review and issued formal notices to Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL), MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun.

Between 13 July and 10 August 2026, TRB’s technical teams assessed the performance of the three licensed operators in the cities of Yaoundé, Douala and Bafoussam, as well as along three key transportation routes: Yaoundé-Edéa-Douala, Douala-Nkongsamba-Bafoussam, and Bafoussam-Bafia-Yaoundé.
The review uncovered 93 breaches of operators’ licence obligations, including 41 attributed to CAMTEL, 29 to Orange Cameroun and 23 to MTN Cameroon. The regulator assessed the financial impact of these breaches at CFAF 8.2 billion for CAMTEL, CFAF 5.8 billion for Orange Cameroun and CFAF 4.6 billion for MTN Cameroon, for a combined total of CFAF 18.6 billion.

The findings leave little room for ambiguity. Both Orange Cameroun and MTN Cameroon were cited for shortcomings relating to equipment certification, compliance with TRB frequency assignments for service frequencies and microwave links, and 2G and 3G voice service quality across the three cities surveyed. Additional deficiencies were identified in data performance and road-network coverage. For Orange, these included data service quality in Douala and Bafoussam, 2G coverage along all three road corridors and 3G coverage between Yaoundé and Douala. For MTN, the issues concerned data performance in Bafoussam and 2G coverage along the Yaoundé-Edéa-Douala corridor.

The assessment was even more severe for the state-owned operator. CAMTEL recorded the same categories of non-compliance, in addition to deficiencies affecting voice, data and SMS services across all three cities, 2G coverage on all three road corridors and, more critically, the performance of its core network, including availability, service continuity, redundancy and failover capabilities. The regulator’s message is clear: no operator, regardless of its ownership status, is exempt from meeting its licence obligations.

TRB’s Director General also highlighted a deeper structural issue. As part of a nationwide fibre-optic network audit launched in 2025 and now nearing completion, the regulator reviewed all 112 segments of the national backbone network operated under CAMTEL’s concession. These segments provide connectivity to mobile operators’ sites across the country’s regions, divisions and subdivisions.

The audit revealed significant deterioration of the infrastructure, which TRB attributes to CAMTEL. The findings point to recurring outages linked to installation and maintenance shortcomings, partially unavailable network segments, failures in civil engineering structures and deficiencies in optical transmission equipment. According to the regulator, these failures undermine the continuity of electronic communications transport services, directly affect the quality experienced by end users and result in lost revenue amounting to several billions of CFA francs across the sector.

In response, TRB has formally directed all three operators to implement corrective measures within fifteen days, each addressing the shortcomings identified within its own network. A follow-up inspection will then be conducted in accordance with applicable regulations, after which sanctions may be imposed if necessary. The roadmap is clear: identify deficiencies, require remediation, verify compliance and, where warranted, enforce penalties.
This latest action is far from an isolated regulatory intervention. Rather, it reflects a consistent approach that TRB, under the leadership of Professor Philémon Zoo Zame, has steadily pursued: rigorous enforcement coupled with continuous engagement with industry stakeholders.
In July, while the compliance campaign was still underway, TRB and MTN Cameroon held a bilateral working session in Kribi from 21 to 23 July to review the operator’s commitments. On 2 September, the Director General met with the leadership teams of MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun for a further progress review. This was followed on 22 and 23 October by a strategic ART-Orange Cameroun seminar in Douala, during which the operator’s reported investment programme was examined and growing pressure on operators to improve both Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) was reiterated. Nothing in this sequence suggests a reactive or improvised approach.

The regulator’s methodology is firmly evidence-based and reflects the highly technical nature of telecom regulation. The fibre-optic audit, initiated as early as 2025 before network conditions reached a critical stage, illustrates TRB’s determination to address the root causes of service degradation rather than merely its symptoms. The extensive field inspections conducted over the summer, spanning multiple cities and road corridors where coverage gaps are measured in kilometres of silence, follow the same logic. The figures released today are not opinions; they are verifiable findings.

Ultimately, however, the key issue remains the tangible improvement of customer experience for both individual and business users. The fifteen-day compliance period and the subsequent inspection will determine whether operators fully grasp the seriousness of the regulator’s warning. TRB, for its part, has made its position clear: regulation is about delivering measurable results, with the public as its primary beneficiary.

ESMA