(Business in Cameroon) - Over the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, the average cost per minute of phone calls dropped by 93.8% in Cameroon. The figure was revealed by the telecom watchdog ART in a recently published note.

According to the agency, in 2010, the average rate was XAF123 but in 2019, it was XAF7.64 “thanks to the introduction of bundled offers (voice+SMS+data) and the intensification of promotions and bonuses.” The drop in call rates was also favored by legislative and regulatory frameworks conducive to technological innovation. As a consequence, between 2010 and 2019, the main indicators shot up. For instance, the number of mobile subscribers rose by 146% over the period, going from 8.6 million in 2010 to 21.4 million in 2019.

Let’s note that despite these improvements in call rate, some consumer organizations still demand measures to ensure further improvement. For instance, the FACTICS (Federation of Cameroonian association of mobile services users) indicates that in Cameroon, “for a middle-class household, electronic communication rates are three times more expensive than electricity and ten times more expensive than water.”

Therefore, the FACTICS suggests public authorities and operators should take measures to lower communication rates up to the level it is in West African countries.

S.A.