Cameroonians boycott MTN and Orange over data prices as regulator demands results

Subscribers in Cameroon were urged to stop using Orange Cameroun and MTN Cameroon on 30 October, in protest at the cost and quality of mobile internet, and to switch to the state-owned operator, Camtel. The scale of the boycott has not been independently verified, and neither operator has publicly responded. It came a week after the telecoms regulator told Orange that its efforts were tangible but not enough.

The campaign comes as Camtel, a small player in mobile, is spending heavily to expand its network and challenge the two operators that take almost all of the market’s revenue.

What happened

The call to boycott, led by content creators including Céleste Victorien, spread on social media in October. According to Cameroun Actuel and Mimi Mefo Info, the organisers want cheaper bundles, better connections and clear explanations of how data use is counted. Their most common complaint is bundles that vanish: some users say a 4GB bundle meant to last 30 days ran out in under half an hour. Some traders who sell through social media say they spend up to 40% of their profits on data.

The organisers say earlier approaches to the operators produced no satisfactory answer. A member of parliament, Nouran Fouting, has also questioned both companies about the effect of prices on households and small businesses.

The boycott went ahead on 30 October, but its scale could not be independently verified, ITWeb Africa said, according to Techpoint Africa. Neither Orange nor MTN had commented publicly by 3 November. Kelvin Cham, an MTN subscriber, told ITWeb Africa that his home internet box had not worked for six days: “We need a better network.”

The numbers

• Price per gigabyte. Figures from the price comparison site Cable.co.uk, cited by Cameroun Actuel, put the average cost of 1GB of mobile data at 956 CFA francs in Cameroon, against 229 in Nigeria and 235 in Ghana.
• Affordability. Measured against gross national income per head, a gigabyte costs 1.14% in Cameroon, against 0.31% in Nigeria, according to the same report.
• Market shares. In 2024, Orange had 15.67 million mobile subscribers, MTN 13.75 million and Camtel 2.08 million, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART). Orange took 50.08% of operators’ mobile revenue and MTN 47.26%; Camtel’s share was 2.67%.

The operators’ side

Operators have in the past blamed fibre cuts, power failures and vandalism for poor service, while Camtel has disputed some of those explanations. In 2023, the year of an earlier “airplane mode” campaign, the minister of posts and telecommunications described tariffs as affordable. After that April 2023 campaign, ART imposed penalties totalling 6 billion CFA francs for coverage and quality failures, including 2.2 billion on Orange and 1.4 billion on MTN.

The minister, Minette Libom Li Likeng, has also pressed operators to spend more. During a working visit to Douala and Yaoundé in October 2024 she said that “for some operators, the investments made do not match the seriousness of the needs on the ground”, according to News du Cameroun (translated).

The regulator’s verdict

At a two-day review of Orange’s investments in Douala on 22 and 23 October, the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) said it had seen tangible efforts from the operator but judged them insufficient, citing growing dissatisfaction among users, EcoMatin reported. The regulator asked Orange for “visible, measurable and lasting results” (translated), with precise commitments and a timetable for delivering them. MTN Cameroon went through a similar review in July.

Camtel’s push

Camtel, which the boycott organisers held up as the alternative, is in the middle of a Mobile Network Expansion project. In September it said it was adding 245 mobile sites to its existing 473 and upgrading 122 congested ones, Agence Ecofin reported. The first phase is backed by a syndicated loan of about 44.9 billion CFA francs (about $78m) arranged by Commercial Bank Cameroon and signed on 21 January, and aims to lift Camtel’s national mobile coverage from 40% to 70%.

In a statement on LinkedIn, Camtel said “connectivity must be able to advance everywhere Cameroonians live, work and do business”, as reported by Agence Ecofin.

Why it matters

Mobile data is the main route online for most Cameroonians and a working tool for small traders. With two operators holding about 97% of mobile revenue, consumer campaigns and Camtel’s expansion are the main sources of pressure on prices, besides the regulator.

What to watch

• Any response from Orange, MTN or ART on how data use is counted and on refunds for unused data.
• Whether Orange and MTN agree to the commitments and timetable the regulator has asked for.
• Whether subscribers move to Camtel in significant numbers, and whether its network can absorb them.
• The roll-out of Camtel’s 245 new sites and its coverage target of 70%.
• Parliamentary follow-up on data prices.

Sources: Cameroun Actuel, 22 October 2026; Mimi Mefo Info, 22 October 2026; SocialActu, 22 October 2026; Agence Ecofin, 18 September 2026; Sika Finance, 22 January 2026; News du Cameroun, 15 October 2024; Techpoint Africa, 3 November 2026; EcoMatin, 29 October 2026; ITWeb Africa via Extensia, 3 November 2026.

Top photo: Office towers in Douala’s Akwa and Bonanjo districts (file photo). Photo: ArnoBOUJIKA, Wikimedia Commons, CC0