Bulk SMS in Cameroon reaches customers on MTN, Orange, Camtel and Nexttel from a registered sender ID, usually in French, English or both, with amounts in FCFA (XAF) and mobile money references for MTN MoMo or Orange Money. For marketing, the 2010 e-commerce law already restricts direct prospecting by electronic means without prior consent, and Law No. 2024/017 of 23 December 2024 on personal data protection adds a full data protection regime with a dedicated authority, so opt-in, an opt-out in every promotion and careful record keeping are the safe baseline.
Last reviewed: 28 October 2026
This guide is for Cameroonian retailers, pharmacies, microfinance institutions, schools, churches, NGOs and companies in Douala, Yaoundé and beyond. Our bulk SMS Cameroon overview and Cameroon compliance summary are shorter; here we cover the laws in more depth, the four networks, bilingual messaging and its encoding cost, mobile money, and a setup checklist.
Regulators and laws
| Body or law | Relevance to SMS |
|---|---|
| ART (Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications) | Telecoms regulator for the networks |
| ANTIC (Agence Nationale des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication) | National ICT and cybersecurity agency; handled personal data questions before the new law |
| Law No. 2010/021 on electronic commerce | Article 7 restricts direct prospecting to people who have not given prior consent |
| Law No. 2024/017 on personal data protection | General data protection law; creates a Personal Data Protection Authority |
Consent for marketing SMS
According to DLA Piper, Article 7(1) of Law No. 2010/021 prohibits direct prospecting by automated calling machine, fax or email aimed at anyone who has not given prior consent. SMS is not named in that summary, but it works the same way and networks typically treat promotional SMS as needing consent. Law No. 2024/017 then sets general conditions for processing personal data, and law firms reviewing it list failure to meet consent requirements for targeted advertising among the main compliance risks for businesses.
Two practical points on the new law:
- Timing: Lexafrica reports that businesses had until 23 June 2026 to bring their processing into line, and that sanctions apply after that date.
- The authority: the law creates a Personal Data Protection Authority, but DLA Piper reports that its implementing decree was still awaited. Expect guidance on consent forms, registration and marketing once it is operational, and check its status before relying on any detail.
Until the authority publishes detailed rules, follow a conservative approach: recorded opt-in for promotions, a clear sender name, a free opt-out in every promotion, prompt removal of anyone who objects, and no promotions to children.
Networks and number format
Cameroon has four mobile networks: MTN, Orange, Camtel (whose mobile service is branded Blue) and Nexttel. Mobile numbers have nine digits beginning with 6, for example 6 77 12 34 56. In E.164 add +237: +237677123456. There is no leading zero to remove, but exports often contain spaces, dots or a "00237" prefix, so normalise every number before sending. Customers often carry SIMs on two networks, typically MTN and Orange, to use both mobile money services; keep both numbers if given. Our E.164 guide covers bulk clean-up.
Sender IDs
Register an alphanumeric sender ID of up to 11 Latin characters that matches your business name, such as PHARMALAC or CITYMFI. Avoid generic names and the names of public bodies or other brands. eSMS Africa submits the registration and you can test on the eSMS default sender while it is approved. See the Cameroon sender ID page for the current fee and steps, and the Cameroon sender ID article for naming tips.
French, English and bilingual messages
French and English are both official languages. French is dominant in most regions; English is the main language in the North-West and South-West regions, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is widely spoken. Your options:
| Approach | When it works | Cost note |
|---|---|---|
| French only | Customers mostly in Douala, Yaoundé and francophone regions | One segment if under 160 characters and no circumflexes |
| English only | Customers in Bamenda, Buea, Limbe and the anglophone regions | One segment if under 160 characters |
| Language per contact | You know each customer's preference | Cheapest; needs a language column in your contact list |
| Bilingual in one SMS | National notices, public services, mixed lists | Usually two segments or more |
The best option for most businesses is a language column in your contact list, filled at sign-up, and two templates. The dashboard's CSV and Excel import lets you split a list by that column and send each group its own template.
Watch the French accents
GSM-7, the standard SMS alphabet, includes é, è, à and ù, but not ê, â, î, ô, û, ë or ï. One of them switches the whole message to Unicode, cutting a single SMS to 70 characters. "Votre commande est prête" is Unicode; "votre commande est disponible" stays in GSM-7. Check every template, especially words like fête, tête, août, hôpital and maître.
Mobile money and FCFA amounts
MTN MoMo and Orange Money are the everyday ways to pay, so reminders and receipts should give the amount in FCFA, the merchant code or number to pay, and a reference. FCFA amounts are usually written with spaces between thousands (12 500 FCFA); use the same format every time. Tell customers you will never ask for their PIN or a confirmation code, since mobile money fraud by SMS is common.
Sample messages
| Use case | Message |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy (French) | Pharmacie du Lac: Bonjour Ngono, votre commande (12 500 FCFA) est disponible. Retrait avant 18h. |
| Microfinance (English) | City MFI: Your loan payment of 45 000 FCFA is due 05/11. Pay with MoMo or Orange Money, ref CM2201. We never ask for your PIN. |
| School (bilingual) | College Bilingue Etoile: Reprise des cours lundi 7h30. Classes resume Monday 7:30am. |
| Promotion (French) | Mode Akwa: -15% sur les pagnes ce week-end a Akwa. Desinscription: go.esmsafrica.io/ma-stop |
Sending a personalised campaign
Developers can send a personalised batch with merge fields in one call:
curl -X POST https://sms.esmsafrica.io/api/messages/send-bulk \
-H "Authorization: Bearer esms_live_your_key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"sender_id": "PHARMALAC",
"text": "Pharmacie du Lac: Bonjour {{name}}, votre commande ({{amount}} FCFA) est disponible. Retrait avant 18h.",
"recipients": [
{"to": "+237677123456", "name": "Ngono", "vars": {"amount": "12 500"}},
{"to": "+237699123456", "name": "Tabi", "vars": {"amount": "8 000"}}
]}'
Test keys (esms_test_...) simulate sends without charge, and delivery reports arrive by webhook. See the API documentation and the PHP guide if your site runs on PHP.
Pricing
A Cameroon SMS starts at XAF 30 ($0.0514) at the entry tier, XAF 25 at the business tier and XAF 20 at enterprise volume. Pay as you go from USD 20 by card in USD or crypto, with no monthly minimum. See pricing.
Setup checklist
- Collect opt-in for promotions with date, source and wording, and keep it.
- Add a language column (French or English) to your contact list.
- Register a sender ID that matches your business name.
- Normalise numbers to +237 and remove duplicates across SIMs.
- Check French templates for ê, â, ô and other non-GSM letters.
- Put an opt-out link or number in every promotion.
- Give FCFA amounts, a payment reference and a PIN warning in money messages.
- Test on MTN, Orange, Camtel and Nexttel lines before a full send.
- Track the Personal Data Protection Authority's guidance as it is published.
Frequently asked questions
Should I send SMS in French or English in Cameroon?
Send each customer their preferred language. If you do not know it, French suits most of the country and English suits the North-West and South-West regions. Bilingual messages work for national notices but usually cost two segments.
Is Law No. 2024/017 in force?
The law was enacted on 23 December 2024. Law firm reports describe a compliance deadline of 23 June 2026, while the authority's implementing decree was still awaited. Check the current position with a Cameroonian lawyer for your case.
Why are some of my French messages billed as two SMS?
Letters such as ê, â and ô are outside the GSM-7 alphabet, so the message is sent as Unicode with a 70-character limit. Rephrase or remove those letters to stay in one segment.
Can I reach Camtel and Nexttel customers?
Yes. eSMS Africa delivers to all four networks. Store numbers in +237 format and the route is chosen automatically.
Sources
- DLA Piper - Data protection laws of the world: Cameroon
- Lex Africa - Cameroon data protection law compliance (October 2025)
- Afriwise - Cameroon's evolving data privacy landscape
- ART - Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications
- eSMS Africa - HTTP API documentation
See the Cameroon SMS API article, OTP in Cameroon and network coverage on the Cameroon SMS page. Create a free eSMS Africa account and send yourself one French and one English test.
