The Minister of Post and Telecommunication, Jean Pierre Biyiti bi Essame, made a test call a little after minute in the presence of the media to confirm the effective switch from eight to nine digits in the country’s telephone numbering system.

During a press conference in Yaounde, the Minister explained that the switch was essential to enable telephone service providers enhance service delivery and incorporate other services like internet, ecommerce, GPS services and other digital services that require numbering.

Relating to the difficulties telephone users may suffer in upgrading their telephone directories, the Minister explained that some software have been made available to update the directory by adding 6 in front of MTN, Orange, and Nextel numbers and 2 as prefix for Camtal numbers automatically.

The telephone companies and the telecommunications regulatory board were instructed to continue sensitizing telephone users on the changes.

The Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board who supervised the switch over noted that the present change brings up the capacity of each telephone service provider to 800 million numbers. He added that Cameroon will not envisage another switch over anytime soon.

Prior to the press conference, the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, and his counterpart of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary accompanied by the Representative of the African Union of Broadcasters visited the technical installations of each of the telephone companies.

At each stop, the delegation was assured that the switch from 8 to 9 digits was successful.

The current switch is the third in Cameroon after the switch from 6-7 digits in 2001 and from 7-8 in 2007.