Mobile numbers soon to move from 8 to 9 digits

Telephone numbers in Cameroon could finally switch from eight to nine digits in October, if this date is confirmed by the Agency of regulation of telecommunications (ART).

This will also be an opportunity to harmonize the prefix of mobile operators.

Like MTN and Orange, there are already present competitors on the market, Nexttel, the subsidiary of Viettel, which will launch its activities in September, will receive the "6" prefix, while the "2" will be assigned to Camtel.

The market of mobile telephony in Cameroon brings together approximately 15.2 million subscribers out of a population of 22 million inhabitants, or 2.2 million more than in 2012, according to statistics of the Agency of regulation of telecommunications (ART).

It is dominated by MTN Cameroon which has 8.7 million subscribers (leader with nearly 57% market share) and Orange Cameroon which has nearly 6.5 million.