The interconnection rates proposed by telecom operators Orange and MTN in Cameroon have been rejected by the country’s regulator, which refused to authorize the new rates for the current year.
Orange Cameroon had initially put forward its proposal last June, but that was turned down when it suggested rates of XAF 32 per minute during peak hours and XAF 30 during non-peak hours.
ART (Agence de Regulation des Telecommunications) Chairman Jean-Louis Beh Mengue said “Orange did not take up the regulator’s recommendation for the off-peak interconnection rates to be applied on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.”
ART has been pushing operators to be more lenient on voice calls as data is overtaking voice as the top choice by users to connect with friends and family in the West African country.
MTN had proposed identical rates as Orange, but ART said that “operators [must] reduce their rate to XAF 25 per minute and a significant cut in the SMS tariff until the process of adopting an interconnection tariff calculation model is completed.”
ART has called on all telecom operators in Cameroon to discuss potential rates with them before they implement new changes on their own.
David Eto
