Identification of telephone numbers has become a cause for concern for telephone operators in the country. Even though the official deadline has expired many subscribers are yet to identify their numbers. Since the expiry date of the identification of telephone numbers in Cameroon many subscribers are yet to identify their numbers. The process of identification began in June last year under the auspices of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. Operators were given a period of six months to get their subscribers identified. The operation of identification was supposed to end on December 2009 but operators claimed that the period was too short and a period of grace was accorded up till February 2010.
The Administrative Director for the Centre Region –Orange Cameroon, Jules Edmond Oyono Ebengue said the prolongation has increased the number of subscribers for identification. He said since the launching of the campaign about 60 percent of subscribers has been identified in the Orange Cameroon network. According to him, the identification process is still going on and Orange Cameroon has intensified its activities on the field to ensure that more subscribers get their numbers identified. Jules Edmond Oyono Ebengue said the new subscribers to Orange Cameroon are automatically identified. Also the company is taking measures to ensure that the sale of sim cards along the roadside should stop.
The Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Jean Pierre Biyiti bi Essam, held an evaluation meeting with the operators on the when to start blocking sim cards. The operators pleaded that they were not yet ready and the deadline was accorded to August 2010. In yet another evaluation meeting in August 2010, telephone operators were still not ready and were accorded another deadline until October 2010. At the August meeting telephone operators evaluated that the number of subscribers who have identified their numbers is above five million. A source at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications said the Ministry is determined to begin the process of blocking sim cards as from December 31, 2010 which is the final deadline for the identification of telephone numbers. Meanwhile, sensitisation campaigns will be launched in the country to give subscribers a chance to identify their telephone numbers.
