Telecommunications sector: P&T minister reiterates gov’t’s commitment to protect subscribers’ rights.

She was speaking in Douala Thursday October 10, as she and her entourage visited telecommunications operators.

The visit took them to MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun. The visit to was to assess the implementation of the recommendations made to the telecoms operators and their commitments made during a recent consultation. 

It should be noted that the field visit came on the heels of that taken by the General Manager of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board. It also came at a time when consumers are increasingly complaining about the gradual deterioration of services offered to them by these multinationals and the mother supplier, Cameroon Telecommunications, CAMTEL.  

Speaking at the end of the tour, Minister Minette Libom Li Likeng said it was necessary for her and her team, in view of the sensitivity of the issue, to come and get firsthand information on the efforts implemented by mobile operators to respect engagements taken by them last year in wake of the "operation flight mode". 

The operation flight mode in question, was a weeklong boycott of telecoms services offered by these operators by Cameroonians. Thousands of Cameroonians had turned their mobile phone to flight mode as indication of the frustration they went through with exorbitant charges for what they claimed were “very poor services, slow network and low standards of Internet connections”.

Following talks with the ministry concerned, the operators had agreed to ameliorate services. To this effect, Minister Libom Likeng reiterated that seeing the quality of services experienced by the consumers, the protection of their rights remains a preoccupying concern to the hierarchy of the government.

While at the headquarters and technical centres of MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroun, the Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, of the operators as well as customer service experience managers, diligently explained how complaints and feedbacks are managed.

The visit in Douala proved satisfactory but did not suffice the minister to render conclusions on measures taken. 

"We have talked with them, we went to see their technical infrastructure, we made observations, I know some of you may be frustrated but we can bear with me that it will be premature adventure in making conclusive statements on our findings,” she said. 

“This is especially as in our programme, our visit will extend to the mother operator, CAMTEL. You may have noticed a lot of complaints from this side; we shall also go and see what is being done to solve the issues. Only after that can we make conclusions and inform the public on what was derived from both visits," she added.  

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3259 of Monday October 14, 2024