The plan to block undeclared phones in Cameroon is facing strong resistance. While Customs and the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) are pushing for the implementation of this measure, the main telecommunications operators are dragging their feet, raising technical, legal and social questions.
Camtel, the public operator, claims that it does not have the technical capacity to implement the blocking. Its information system would require major software updates, which are not included in the current budget. The private operators, MTN and Orange, although technically capable of executing the measure, have also expressed reservations.
They cite a legal and regulatory vacuum around the procedure. In the background, there is fear of the consequences of a massive cut-off for hundreds of thousands of users, in a country where mobile phones are often the main tool for accessing digital and financial services.
Since 2020, the Cameroonian authorities have been seeking to increase customs revenue from the mobile phone sector, estimating the shortfall at nearly 25 billion FCFA. An initial attempt to levy a direct charge on subscribers' communication credit was abandoned following strong popular protest. Reactivated in March 2026, the procedure provides for a customs clearance rate of 33.33%.
The ART has reassured subscribers by recalling the principle of non-retroactivity: phones connected at least once to a Cameroonian network before March 16, 2026 will not be blocked. The fate of devices introduced after this date remains in abeyance. A new consultation between the ART, operators and Customs should be organized to find a solution to this issue. In the meantime, the telecoms regulator has frozen the blocking of undeclared phones scheduled for May 25, 2026.
