• Cameroon expands telecom quality checks to four northern regions.

• ART targets poor service, operator non-compliance, and user complaints.

• Over $266M in operator investments committed since 2022.

Cameroon's Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) has launched new campaigns to monitor the coverage and quality of services provided by telecom operators. According to the regulator, the initiative aims to ensure all citizens have reliable, equitable, and high-performing access to electronic communications throughout the country.

In a statement published on its website on Wednesday, September 3, the ART said the current campaigns target the East, Adamaoua, North, and Far North regions. The inspections are designed to verify operator compliance, identify low-performance areas, trigger targeted corrective measures, and ensure fair regulation nationwide. This follows a first series of checks conducted between April and June 2025, which focused on major roads and urban centers in the Central, South, and Littoral regions.

The initiative comes amid a rise in complaints about the degradation of voice and data services. "Dropped calls, poor call quality, unstable internet. [...]These recurring issues, reported in major cities like Yaounde and Douala as well as in the northern regions, reflect a worrying situation for users," the regulator stated.

The issue of service quality has been a central debate in Cameroon for several years. Since 2022, the regulator has taken various measures, including organizing a national workshop on the quality of electronic communication services, securing investment commitments of more than 150 billion XAF ($266.4 million) from operators, holding regular technical consultations with sector players, and inspecting the facilities of MTN, Orange, Camtel, and IHS, as well as auditing the national fiber optic network. In July, a total fine of 2.6 billion XAF was imposed on operators following technical checks conducted by the agency's teams in April and May 2024.

Isaac K. Kassouwi