(Business in Cameroon) - The telecommunications regulatory agency of Cameroon spoke out about the open clash between Camtel, the country’s telecommunication operator which holds the monopoly in the management of the optical fiber, and the local subsidiary of the French group Orange. Indeed, Orange Cameroun was denied access to the optical fiber on October 6.

On October 9,2017, in a mail to David Nkotto Emane, managing director of Camtel, Philémon Zo’o Zame , managing director of the regulatory agency, informed his correspondent that “the agency was forwarded a copy of the mail through which Orange Cameroun SA filed a complaint against Camtel about the unilateral disconnection, since October 6, 2017, at 1 pm, of the optical fiber segments it leases from your company, namely the ones of Douala-Yaoundé, Yaoundé-Bafoussam, Yaoundé-South and Yaoundé-North. As a result of this mail, and, reminding you of the regulations which forbid any operator to disconnect a part or the whole interconnection or access to optical fiber, without prior decision from the regulatory agency, I order you to restore, without delay, the connections and submit a report of your actions”.

The telecommunication regulator then ordered Camtel to restore the French subsidiary connection to optical fibers even before any debates on the motives of this suspension. Indeed, the telecommunication operator argued about an unpaid invoice of CFA1.6 Billion that Orange Cameroun is denying. This might lead to believe that the resumption of internet on Orange Cameroun networks as of last October 7, after an interruption 24 hours earlier, was mainly the result of a palliative scheme implemented by Orange Cameroon while it was waiting for Camtel’s adjustments.

BRM