At the Cabinet meeting of July 31, 2025, chaired by Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, delivered an alarming report: insufficient service continuity, incomplete and uneven national coverage, recurrent network congestion, and fluctuating speeds, \u201ccaused by the gradual saturation of ageing infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
While all mobile operators are affected, the situation at Camtel is particularly critical and demands urgent action. On top of the general sector challenges, Camtel faces a growing list of customer complaints, compounded by what is seen as a disastrous customer service record.
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To grasp the scale of the problem, one only needs to look at a few concrete situations that shape the daily experience of Camtel and Blue subscribers – myself included.<\/p>\n\n
1 – The shortage of replacement SIM cards<\/strong><\/p> <\/p><\/h4>\n\n If your phone is stolen or lost, it\u2019s impossible to keep your Blue number. For months now, replacement SIM cards have been unavailable nationwide. Instead, you are told to buy a new SIM card – meaning a new number. Serious consequence: the thief or hacker could continue using your old number if you haven\u2019t had it blocked, with all the associated risks.<\/p>\n\n 2 – Data bundles purchased\u2026 but unusable<\/strong><\/p><\/h4>\n\n This is one of the top complaints from Blue subscribers. A glance at the comments under Camtel\u2019s Facebook posts gives a clear picture of the frustration. Many customers purchase a bundle but are unable to use it. The operator should consider issuing automatic refunds, as Orange recently did in a similar case. Camtel now focuses much of its communication on its FTTH (Fibre to the Home) offers \u2014 at the expense of suspended Blue Bundles. Installation times for FTTH have improved compared to the past, when customers could wait up to three months. However, after-sales service remains a nightmare. Unexplained outages despite bills being paid, endless delays for reconnection\u2026 Unless you have a friend working as a Camtel technician, you\u2019ll need plenty of patience.<\/p>\n\n 4 – Power cuts = Internet cuts<\/strong><\/p><\/h4>\n\n <\/p> In Emana, Yaound\u00e9, Blue subscribers know it well: when Eneo<\/strong> cuts the power, Blue internet service also goes down.<\/p> The result: customers switch to Orange or MTN while waiting for electricity to return.<\/p>\n\n 5 – Failed bundle activations: \u201cSystem Error\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/h4>\n\n <\/p> Heavy Blue data users are all too familiar with the \u201cSystem Error\u201d message. After a few activations of popular bundles like M<\/strong> (1.5 GB\/day for 300 CFA francs) or L<\/strong> (2 GB\/48 h for 500 CFA francs), many subscribers find they cannot buy another bundle the same day.<\/p> In effect, you want to give Camtel your money, and the system replies, \u201cSystem Error\u201d – essentially, \u201cNo thanks.\u201d<\/p> <\/p>\n\n A Camtel technician at an agency might explain that your number has been \u201cblocked\u201d from making further activations and that it must be unlocked by another service outside Camtel\u2019s main branch. Sometimes this takes hours. Meanwhile, customers simply turn to the competition. And for years, no solution has been found to eliminate the notorious \u201cSystem Error\u201d.<\/p>\n\n 6 – Silent removal of bundles and abandoned customers<\/strong><\/p> <\/p><\/h4>\n\n For nearly two months, Camtel has removed, without any official explanation, several Blue data bundles \u2014 including daily bundles (100 to 2,000 CFA francs) and the popular night bundle. Now, only one remains: 1,000 CFA francs for 2 GB valid for 7 days. Faced with numerous unanswered questions from users on Facebook, Digital Business Africa reached out two weeks ago to Camtel\u2019s Head of Communications Unit, Head of Communications Division, and CEO Judith Yah Sunday. To date, there has been total silence. Despite follow-ups, our submitted interview protocol is still awaiting a response. This silence has only sped up the subscriber exodus to MTN and Orange. It took a brief comment from Camtel\u2019s community manager on Facebook to learn that the change was supposedly \u201ca technical adjustment as part of an overall improvement of Camtel\u2019s offers.\u201d Users have drawn their own conclusions, with some linking the move to Cameroon\u2019s current pre-election climate, accusing Camtel of reducing affordable bundles to curb online discussions and interactions. In any case, calls to restore daily and night bundles flood Camtel and Blue\u2019s Facebook pages with every new post.<\/p>\n\n The absence of communication: a relationship disaster<\/strong><\/p><\/h3>\n\n <\/p> In relationship marketing, silence in the face of a major customer issue is known as customer abandonment<\/strong>: the company no longer meets its clients\u2019 usual needs. The result is a breakdown of trust and accelerated churn<\/strong> (customer migration to competitors).<\/p>\n\n Yet, when she took office in December 2018, Judith Yah Sunday promised to base her leadership on two pillars: \u201cAnchored to these two pillars, Camtel will continue to uphold its core values: extending network coverage, expanding our product and service catalogue, and ensuring service quality. This is the honour of our commitment.\u201d<\/em> declared the Camtel CEO in September 2023 during the company\u2019s 25th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Nearly seven years later, it is clear the first pillar has yet to be realised. Beyond the feeling of abandonment expressed by subscribers, the consequences for Camtel are manifold. The removal of bundles tailored to specific usage habits directly leads to customer loss – and thus high churn – in favour of MTN and Orange, which offer daily bundles from 100 to 500 CFA francs.<\/p>\n\n This accelerated exodus will soon translate into rapid market share erosion, a surge in complaints, and persistent bad buzz on social media. Brand-wise, both Blue and Camtel emerge weakened, with a trust deficit that risks becoming long-term. Brand-wise, both Blue and Camtel emerge weakened, with a trust deficit that risks becoming long-term. Camtel\u2019s communication managers and CEO are undoubtedly aware of this reality, but their inaction raises serious questions. A quick look at Camtel and Blue\u2019s Facebook pages reveals the depth of user frustration. In nearly every post over the past two months, the comments section is filled with complaints. A clear public statement on social media and in the press is essential. Finally, direct and personalised contact with affected customers would send a strong signal to rebuild trust.<\/p>\n\n By refusing to speak up and leaving its subscribers in the dark, Camtel is exposing itself to a deep and lasting crisis of confidence. If nothing is done quickly, this episode will stand as one of the most glaring examples of perceived incompetence in Cameroon\u2019s telecom sector. By Beaugas-Orain DJOYUM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n3 – FTTH: Faster installation, but poor after-sales service<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\nPredictable consequences<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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<\/p>\n\nWhat must be done urgently?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
To contain the damage, Camtel must communicate officially about the removal of these daily bundles and address all the customer concerns raised.<\/p>\n\n
The operator should also refund affected subscribers – as recommended in the past by the ART and Minpostel in similar cases of unusable purchased data – and perhaps offer bonus data to ease tensions.<\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n\nCamtel Hits Hard\u2026 and in Silence: Several Internet Packages Axed Without Warning Subscribers<\/a><\/blockquote>