Cameroon to cut off unregistered phones from networks starting September 1 📵 🇨🇲

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Starting September 1, 2026, phones that haven’t cleared customs in Cameroon risk losing access to telecom networks entirely. The move comes after months of warnings to affected users — and after an earlier attempt to enforce the same rule fizzled out.

The device-blocking rollout enters a new phase 🔒

In a recently published notice, Cameroon’s Minister of Finance, Louis Paul Motaze, confirmed that the country will begin enforcing the block on certain uncleared mobile phones. The measure is part of a customs revenue mechanism that has been in the works since a 2023 reform.

The goal is to push owners of affected devices to regularize their situation before losing network access. Any uncleared phone connecting to a Cameroonian network for the first time will fall under the new rules.

Which phones are affected ?📲

The measure also targets some devices already in use on local networks. That includes phones that connected after April 1, 2026, whose owners received warning messages but never acted on them.

The rules also cover uncleared phones activated in bulk on the same SIM card after that date, and no longer in continuous use. The block will apply across the networks of every operator in Cameroon.

The scale of the issue had already surfaced months earlier. Back in April 2026, authorities reported identifying nearly 700,000 newly connected phones on Cameroon’s network with no prior customs clearance — in under a month. The figure gives a sense of just how much of Cameroon’s phone market runs through informal channels.

How to check your phone’s status ? 🔎

With the block set to kick in, users can check their device’s customs status now. Start by dialing *#06# to get your phone’s IMEI number. From there, you can check the device’s status on the dedicated platform, or by calling the customs authority (Direction générale des Douanes) at 8044.

If a phone comes back as uncleared, the owner can start the regularization process — either online or at a customs office.

Rolling out the system also depends on coordination between several players in Cameroon’s digital and telecom sector: the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, the telecom regulator (ART), the national ICT agency (ANTIC), and the country’s three operators — Camtel, MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon.

That coordination is meant to help identify affected devices and enforce the network restrictions.

A new stage in controlling mobile devices ⚙️

The September 1 deadline follows months of awareness campaigns and notifications. For owners who still haven’t regularized their devices, the shift to active blocking marks a new phase of the program.

The challenge now isn’t just identifying uncleared phones — it’s actually keeping them off Cameroon’s networks until their status is sorted out.

So — is your phone already cleared, or are you planning to check its status before September 1?