Telecommunication Services: Connectivity Hiccups Persist !

“Zoom meetings are slow and blurry due to slow signal.” That’s the reality for Adalbert Ashu Junior, a remote worker who has tested every major telecom operator in Cameroon in search of a stable connection. None have delivered consistently. “I’ve used MTN, Orange, even CAMTEL which is affordable but very slow and choses when to work. The internet cuts when it likes, you’ll restart and put your phone on airplane mode to no avail” he says. Juliette Mekongo, a mobile money vendor in Yaounde, also shares her frustration. “Nowadays, when a transaction goes through, the message confirming it either delays or never shows up for both parties when needed,” she says. Adding, “MTN is slightly better, it works for a few hours a day, but last week, I had to stop withdrawals altogether.” Another credit vendor, who also runs a small call box, says her customer base is shrinking. “Calls don’t connect, people get angry and blame me meanwhile it’s the network. With Orange over two weeks can pass and we would be having constant network problems.” These stories are just a few among thousands. Across the country, people are losing money, missing webinars, and feeling increasingly cut off due to the poor mobile network services mostly felt within the week from Monday April 14-19, 2025. With users reportedly staying for a whole morning without receiving messages via their mobile data connection. Fed up with the poor service, the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) has stepped in, once again. From April 8 to 10, 2025, TRB’s Director General, Prof. Philémon Zo’o Zame, held a concertation with leaders from MTN Cameroon, Orange Cameroun, and CAMTEL and related agencies to address the growing complaints, look over strategies in place and plan for these network i...