MTN and Orange are being fined in Cameroon for failing to deliver quality service

If you live in Cameroon and feel like your mobile network is constantly letting you down… well, you’re not imagining it. And neither is the government.

This week, Cameroon’s telecom regulator, TRB, slapped MTN and Orange with a combined fine of 2.6 billion CFA francs (around $4.6 million) for failing to meet basic service standards. MTN got hit with $1.8 million, while Orange was fined $2.5 million, plus an extra $357,600 for dodgy pricing practices and malfunctioning opt-out codes on value-added services.

The trigger is a series of inspections carried out between April and May 2024, covering major corridors like Yaoundé, Douala, Ebolowa, and Ntam. Inspectors found what most Cameroonians already knew — poor coverage, inconsistent quality, and not enough effort to fix it.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. In 2023, telco giants MTN and Orange were hit with even bigger fines, $2.2 million and $3.5 million respectively, for the same issues. Dropped calls, sluggish data speeds, and patchy service in rural areas. Yet, nothing seems to have changed.

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And that’s the real story here: fines keep coming, but the networks stay the same.

TRB’s boss, Philemon Zoo Zame, now says the regulator is going after more than $52 million in unpaid licence fees and penalties from mobile operators. On paper, that sounds bold. But on the ground, telcos still don’t feel much pressure to change.

And it’s not just a Cameroon problem. MTN has a track record of regulatory run-ins, from a $5.2 billion fine in Nigeria (later negotiated down) to ongoing quality complaints in South Africa. In most cases, the fallout barely dents business.

So that raises the question: What’s the actual consequence of poor service?

Fines clearly aren’t doing the job. With little competition and soft enforcement, penalties start to feel more like business expenses than deterrents. Meanwhile, millions of users are stuck paying full price for networks that often don’t deliver.

There’s talk of license suspensions and tighter conditions if operators don’t shape up. But unless those threats become reality, like blocking service rollouts or delaying renewals, we’re likely to see the same cycle play out again.

Because right now, Cameroon’s telco drama is less about accountability and more about déjà vu.

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