Gov’t suspends blockage of undeclared phones
By Brian Mboh
Cameroon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) has suspended the planned blocking of non-customs cleared mobile phones that was scheduled to take effect on May 25, 2026.
The decision follows tensions between customs authorities and telecom operators over the implementation of the measure targeting nearly 700,000 devices identified as undeclared on the network.
According to reports, CAMTEL raised technical concerns, while MTN and Orange reportedly questioned the legal and social implications of disconnecting hundreds of thousands of users.
Meanwhile, in a letter dated May 18, Customs Director General Fongod Edwin Nuvaga instructed the operators to begin blocking the devices starting May 25, 2026.
The measure applies only to undeclared phones and digital terminals connected to local mobile networks for the first time since April 1, 2026, when the country’s new customs collection system for digital devices took effect.
In the letter, the customs administration warned that operators could be held responsible if undeclared devices continue to access local networks.
The instruction came one month after Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé warned importers suspected of bypassing the new customs system. In a statement issued April 27, the minister said about 700,000 phones connected to local networks for the first time between April 1 and April 25 without customs clearance.
Authorities initially avoided systematic blocking and instead gave importers and users time to regularize their situation without penalties before April 30. Under the new rules, devices introduced illegally after that deadline are now subject to blocking.
The government says the reform is meant to restore control over a segment heavily affected by smuggling and undeclared imports. Authorities also want to increase customs revenue from mobile phones and digital devices, an area where tax collection has collapsed despite rising device imports.
Official figures show customs revenue from phones and digital equipment fell from about CFA2 billion per month in the 2000s to around CFA100 million today, even as the number of devices entering the Cameroonian market continued to increase.
Through the reform, customs authorities now aim to raise at least CFA25 billion in annual revenue from the sector.Cameroon’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) has suspended the planned blocking of non-customs cleared mobile phones that was scheduled to take effect on May 25, 2026.
The decision follows tensions between customs authorities and telecom operators over the implementation of the measure targeting nearly 700,000 devices identified as undeclared on the network.
According to reports, CAMTEL raised technical concerns, while MTN and Orange reportedly questioned the legal and social implications of disconnecting hundreds of thousands of users.
Meanwhile, in a letter dated May 18, Customs Director General Fongod Edwin Nuvaga instructed the operators to begin blocking the devices starting May 25, 2026.
The measure applies only to undeclared phones and digital terminals connected to local mobile networks for the first time since April 1, 2026, when the country’s new customs collection system for digital devices took effect.
In the letter, the customs administration warned that operators could be held responsible if undeclared devices continue to access local networks.
The instruction came one month after Finance Minister Louis Paul Motazé warned importers suspected of bypassing the new customs system. In a statement issued April 27, the minister said about 700,000 phones connected to local networks for the first time between April 1 and April 25 without customs clearance.
Authorities initially avoided systematic blocking and instead gave importers and users time to regularize their situation without penalties before April 30. Under the new rules, devices introduced illegally after that deadline are now subject to blocking.
The government says the reform is meant to restore control over a segment heavily affected by smuggling and undeclared imports. Authorities also want to increase customs revenue from mobile phones and digital devices, an area where tax collection has collapsed despite rising device imports.
Official figures show customs revenue from phones and digital equipment fell from about CFA2 billion per month in the 2000s to around CFA100 million today, even as the number of devices entering the Cameroonian market continued to increase.
Through the reform, customs authorities now aim to raise at least CFA25 billion in annual revenue from the sector.
