Cameroon's telecoms regulator has fined the country's two main mobile network carriers, MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun, 2.6 billion francs CFA (about $4.6 million), for failing to achieve essential contractual commitments.
The decision was issued last week and made public on July 7 by the Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB), Philémon Zoo Zame, and represents an important step towards enforcing service quality standards and protecting consumer rights in the rapidly evolving digital sector.
According to the regulator, the sanctions stem from a series of inspections carried out by TRB agents between April and May 2024.
These inspections took place along significant national corridors such as Yaounde-Mbalmayo-Ebolowa-Kyé-Ossi and Yaounde-Mbalmayo-Ebolowa-Mintom-Ntam, as well as in the cities of Yaounde and Douala.
Investigations were also conducted at both telcos' headquarters in Douala, with a focus on pricing practices, according to the regulator.
Following the inspection, TRB discovered that both operators were in violation of their coverage and quality of service obligations as outlined in their licenses.
Network coverage was determined to be below the required thresholds in several key regions.
In the case of Orange Cameroun, additional violations were uncovered relating to the malfunctioning of opt-out codes for value-added services – a failure that directly infringes on the rights of consumers.
The regulator also cited pricing irregularities at Orange, raising concerns about transparency and fairness.
As a result of these findings, TRB imposed a fine of 1.4 billion francs CFA ($2.5 million) on Orange Cameroun for failing to meet network coverage and service quality obligations, and an additional 200 million francs CFA ($357,600) for non-compliance with pricing regulations.
For its part, MTN Cameroon was fined 1 billion francs CFA ($1.8 million) for similar shortcomings in coverage and service delivery.
“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, adding that the need to ensure consistent access to quality telecom services is not only a regulatory requirement but a development imperative.
The involved telcos had not commented at the time of publication.
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