Phones and Internet in Cameroon

Telecommunications are now part of everyday life, whether for locals or expatriates. So if you are moving to Cameroon, you will definitely want to keep in touch with your friends and family abroad or perform some research on the Internet. The country hosts many services providers offering a good coverage in almost all regions. You just have to decide whether you want a land line, a mobile phone or Internet, or all of these.

Land lines

Camtel is the country's main phone service provider. It offers tailored services for the needs of different categories: individuals, professionals and companies. If you wish to apply for a land line, visit one of Camtel's branches with your identity documents, six copies of your house or company's site plan. The application form is available on the spot and has to be duly filled and signed. In the case of companies, a trade registration certificate or a taxpayer's number will be requested. Fees applied should amount to some CFA 35,775.

The installation of ADSL on your line is free of charge. However, subscription fees will reach up to CFA 29,900 per month.

Mobile phones

Cameroon hosts several mobile phone service providers such as Camtel, MTN, Orange and Nexttel. These offer various types of services according to your needs: short message service, calls, internet mobile, etc. You are advised to check and compare offers before choosing your service provider.

Internet

Camtel is deemed to be the leader of the Cameroonian telecommunications market. However, you can still choose among other Internet service providers which offer satisfactory network coverage. Note that some under-developed regions may be affected by poor coverage due to the country's geography.

Foris, for instance, offers Internet connections at affordable rates, ranging between CFA 35,000 and CFA 95,000 CFA for a speed of 768 to 1024 Kbps. Subscription fees vary between CFA 1,995 and CFA 5,000.

MTN, for its part, offers wireless connection thanks to a mini rechargeable modem. Rates generally vary between CFA 1,000 and CFA 25,000 per month. You are free to choose your recharge amount according to your needs.

Orange also offers the same concept as from CFA 20,000 CFA per month with no download limit. As regards ADSL, the speed varies between 128 and 512 Kbps for some CFA 25,000 to CFA 75,000.

Creolink offers not only attractive Internet packages but also cable TV. Installation fees range between CFA 50,000 and CFA 100,000 CFA whether or not the premises are already equipped with a Creolink antenna. As for subscription fees, these range between CFA 24,500 and CFA 49 500 per month.

YooMee offers a maximum of 640 Kbps download speed. It also offers a mini USB modem and Wi-Fi connection. Rates range between CFA 29,900 and CFA 89,900. The USB modem recharge generally costs between CFA 2,000 and CFA 10,000.

Ringo provides a Wi-Fi-box for some CFA 89,500 CFA to CFA 125,000 and a phone modem for some CFA 75,000. Depending on the rate, the subscription rate varies between CFA 25,000 and 200,000.

Note that new telecommunication technologies are gradually making a breakthrough in Cameroon, thus delighting Cameroonian nationals.

Useful links:

Camtel www.camtel.cm
MTN www.mtn.cm
Orange www.orange.cm
Creolink www.creolink.com
YooMee www.yoomee.cm