The 'Super Company' Phenomenon, When Telcos Do Everything

Hello everyone,

In my previous articles, I looked at poorly designed government websites and a banking app that put people’s money at risk. Those were stories of bad execution. But there is a bigger problem in Cameroon’s digital space that goes beyond simple malfunctions.

It is the problem of two big conglomerates: one is Yellow (Mr Everywhere You go) and the other is Orange (Mr BIM).

MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon together control over 80% of the telecommunications market in this country. That is not news. But what many people do not realize is that these two companies are no longer just phone and internet providers. They have become something else: super companies.

MTN is not “Everywhere You Go” as much as “La Vie Change Avec Orange”, but let’s look at what they offer as services.

In general, they offer mobile money, micro-loans, virtual cards for international payments, cloud hosting, fleet management, data centers, streaming platforms, and even their own social network. They do absolutely everything. And this is a problem for startups, for consumers, and for the Cameroonian economy.

What These Two Companies Control Today

MTN and Orange now operate across multiple sectors:

• Financial Services: Mobile money (MTN MoMo launched August 2010, Orange Money launched July 2011), micro-loans (MTN’s MoMoKash launched March 2019), and virtual Mastercard cards (MTN in December 2025, Orange in January 2026).
• Entertainment: Streaming platforms (MTN’s Yabadoo and Ayoba), music services (MTN Music+), and super-apps (Orange’s Max it).
• Business Services: Cloud hosting, web hosting, domain registration, data center colocation (Orange), Microsoft 365 (MTN), vehicle tracking, Events booking, and fleet management.

They are no longer telecommunications companies. They are conglomerates, even better: They are sisters.

Funny how this works: When MTN launches 4G in December 2015, Orange launches 4G in December 2015 — and both claimed to be the “first 4G operator” within 24 hours of each other. When MTN launches MoMo in August 2010, Orange follows in July 2011. When MTN launches a virtual card in December 2025, Orange launches one in January 2026. It is as if they share a calendar on product launches and prices modification.

Poor Quality of Services

The reality for consumers is that services are often poor. Calls and Internet connections are unstable/unavailable, complains about data packages vanishing without explanation. Entrepreneurs have to reschedule international meetings because a simple video call has become “mission impossible.” Some admit to working at night because the network is “less catastrophic between midnight and 6am.”

In July 2025, the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) imposed a cumulative fine of 2.6 billion FCFA on Orange and MTN for failing to meet service quality and coverage commitments. Orange was fined 1.4 billion FCFA for quality failures plus 200 million FCFA for pricing violations, while MTN received a 1 billion FCFA fine. This was not the first time — in May 2023, a record 6 billion FCFA fine had already been imposed for similar shortcomings. Consumer associations accused the two operators of defrauding customers of between 500 and 950 billion FCFA through abusive practices.

The Problem for Startups

Here is the reality for any Cameroonian startup trying to build a digital product. You want to offer mobile payments? You are competing against MTN and Orange, who already have millions of users. You want to offer micro-loans? They have that too. You want to install and sell GPS and fleet management devices? MTN Track+ is there. You want to create a streaming service? MTN already has Yabadoo. You want to develop a messaging app? MTN already has Ayoba, you want a ticket selling apps for events? MaxIt has it! You want Virtual Prepaid Cards? No need for a Bank anymore.

How can you compete with a company that has:

• Millions of existing customers
• Massive capital
• Hundreds of engineers
• A network infrastructure you cannot replicate
• The ability to lose money on a service for years until you go bankrupt

You do not compete. You die. Or you do not even try. (A minute of silence for all the startups that are/have been crushed by our Goliaths.)

Take the case of Express Union, a Cameroonian money transfer company that launched its own mobile money service. The company accused MTN and Orange of blocking its service by refusing to grant it the necessary USSD codes, effectively strangling it at birth. While the operators denied this, the outcome was the same — a local competitor was neutralized before it could gain traction.

Consider Wave, the American fintech that entered the Cameroonian market in August 2025 with a disruptive model: 1% transfer fees and free cash withdrawals. Within months of Wave’s arrival, both MTN and Orange suddenly announced fee reductions — Orange cut withdrawal fees by 1% in July 2025, MTN followed in October 2025 with additional cuts. Until a real competitor appears, prices remain stable. The moment competition shows up, prices magically drop.

A local fintech founder put it bluntly: “MTN MoMo and Orange Money have the same fees. Is this due to policies that block real competition? If that is the case, fintech startups may face the same restrictions. How can they offer better alternatives?”

This is the silent tragedy of Cameroon’s tech ecosystem. Startups are not failing because they have bad ideas. They are failing because they cannot compete against two giants that control the entire digital infrastructure and have decided to also control every layer on top and bottom of it.

The Parallel with Microsoft

In the late 1990s, Microsoft was found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the PC operating system market. The company used its Windows monopoly to favor its own products — like Internet Explorer — over competitors like Netscape. The lesson was simple: when a company controls the infrastructure, it cannot also control every application built on top of that infrastructure.

Of course, we know that in practice, very little is done about monopolies. Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta today dominate search, operating systems, devices, and social media — often purchasing smaller competitors or launching copycat products to crush them. The difference is that in the US and Europe, at least there are antitrust investigations, lawsuits, and fines. In Cameroon, there is barely a whisper.

Here, MTN and Orange control the towers, the fiber, the SIM cards, and the mobile money rails — then use that control to offer every possible service on top. A startup cannot offer a streaming service without internet, but MTN controls the internet. A startup cannot offer payments without mobile money integration, but MTN and Orange control mobile money. This is not just a market failure. It is a structural barrier to innovation.

The Government’s Dependency

Here is the uncomfortable truth: the Cameroonian government is also dependent on these two companies.

Since January 1, 2025, each mobile money withdrawal or transfer transaction has been subject to a specific duty of 4 FCFA, added to the existing 0.2% tax. The government therefore collects tax via the platforms of the same operators it is supposed to regulate.

The government depends on the duopoly that harms consumers. This creates a conflict of interest. Aggressively regulating the operators could disrupt tax collection. But failing to regulate them allows the duopoly to continue extracting value from consumers.

This is not a sustainable position. If the government wants to build a truly digital economy, it needs payment infrastructure that is not controlled by two foreign multinationals. It needs competition. It needs alternatives.

What Needs to Change

If Cameroon wants a healthy digital economy, several things must happen:

1. Recognize the problem. The current situation is not a free market. It is a duopoly with high barriers to entry. Pretending otherwise does not help anyone.

2. Strengthen regulation. Current fines — 2.6 billion FCFA — remain small compared to the operators’ colossal revenues. Sanctions must be large enough to change behavior.

3. Protect startups. Consider structural separation — preventing infrastructure providers from also offering every possible service on top. If you own the towers, you should perhaps not also own the streaming service.

4. Strengthen Camtel. Oh Holy Camtel… If Cameroon wants a genuine third player, Camtel needs investment, political support, and regulatory space to compete.

5. Reduce government dependency. The government should build or support alternative payment infrastructure that does not leave it captive to two foreign operators or rely on them.

Final Thought

MTN and Orange are not evil companies. They provide essential services that millions of Cameroonians rely on every day. Telcos dominate because:

• Banking infrastructure is weak → they become fintech
• Identity systems are weak → SIM becomes identity
• Internet infrastructure is weak → they own access

But their dominance has reached a point where it is stifling competition, harming consumers, and blocking the growth of a local tech ecosystem.

In a healthy digital economy, startups compete on ideas and execution. In Cameroon, they compete against two giants that control the entire playing field. That is not competition. That is survival.

The question is whether the government, the regulator, and the public are willing to demand change. Because without change, the super companies will continue to do everything — and startups will continue to do nothing.

Have you experienced problems with MTN or Orange’s services? Have you tried to build a digital product in Cameroon? I would like to hear your experience.

Note: This article is based on data from the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART), market reports, and consumer association statements up to November 2025. Market conditions may change.