It’s been about 2 months that a large part of the population in the South department has been facing major difficulties with mobile phone and internet services provided by the country’s two main operators, Digicel and Natcom.
For about 2 months now, a large part of the population in the South department has been facing major difficulties with mobile phone and internet services provided by the country’s two main operators, Digicel and Natcom. In several towns, including Les Cayes, Torbeck, Camp-Perrin, the South Coast, Aquin, and Île-à-Vache, users report calls constantly dropping, unstable or nonexistent internet connections, and an inability to communicate normally, despite the plans they’ve purchased.
According to several citizens interviewed, this situation affects daily life, work activities, family interactions, and even people’s safety, as in emergencies they struggle to reach their loved ones or necessary services.”We are paying for a service that we can’t use,” explained a school principal in the city of Les Cayes. According to him, the situation is an infringement on citizens’ basic rights.
“In Les Cayes and the surrounding communities, the phone and internet networks provided by the mobile carriers Digicel and Natcom haven’t been working well for several months,” he laments.
According to him, even when one of the networks seems to offer a slight improvement, it’s still not enough.In some remote areas of the South Coast, citizens are even forced to turn to alternative solutions.
“Some members of the population have to pay individuals for internet sharing via Starlink. A situation that harms the population, undermines their rights to information and communication, and even causes economic damage,” says a member of a local administration on the South Coast.
Several people interviewed also criticize the lack of communication from companies towards their clients. An influential woman from the city of Les Cayes denounces what she sees as a lack of real oversight over the operators.”For some time now, I’ve been asking myself just one question: which authority regulates mobile phones in our country? As if I didn’t already know it’s CONATEL,” she says sarcastically, while also criticizing the lack of communication from the companies towards their customers. For her, consumers are left alone to deal with a situation that has become hardly acceptable.
“It’s hard to stay in touch with someone on this network, even in an emergency. This situation means you can’t get anything done over the phone. You just wait, hoping to hear the person if the call goes through,” she testifies.
The economic impact: businesses and professionals paralyzed
For many entrepreneurs and professionals, the consequences are particularly significant. A young professional and shop owner from the city explains that the poor network quality directly affects his activities.”It’s a stressful situation. Once again, companies show that they have no respect for their customers. There’s no apology note, no clear explanation of what’s going on or how long it will take to fix the problem,” he laments.
“You make your plans, you pay, but you don’t get the service. To communicate with my clients, I use Starlink, even if it costs more, because at least I have a service that works,” he says.
Another entrepreneur confirms that connection issues slow down orders, purchases, and exchanges with clients.
“It’s a really tough situation for an entrepreneur. It creates delays in communication with clients, in orders, and in purchases,” he explains.Students penalized in their education
The network crisis also affects students, especially those taking online courses. One student explains that the situation makes her academic path very difficult.
“When we have to take online classes, it gets really hard. The connection keeps cutting out and the platforms are almost unusable,” she says.
“Before, I used to make monthly plans. Now, I prefer to make daily plans because I can’t use the data I buy. The internet is so bad that I’m wasting my money,” she shares.The diaspora also affected by the inability to communicate
The problem doesn’t just concern people living in the South. Several members of the diaspora also report difficulties reaching their loved ones. A retired woman living in the United States explains that she regularly has trouble communicating with her family in Les Cayes. “For a week now, I’ve only been able to communicate through text messages or voice messages. Calls sometimes ring without answer, sometimes they drop. The sound cuts in and out. It’s almost impossible to have a normal conversation with someone in Haiti,” she says.The problem isn’t just limited to downtown Les Cayes. In Torbeck, an active local says that the poor network quality seriously disrupts his activities. ‘It’s a problem. Communication becomes way more complicated than it needs to be. I waste a lot of time waiting for the internet to work so I can get my work done,’ he says.
In more remote areas, like Île-à-Vache, the situation is even worse. ‘To find a bit of Natcom signal, I have to go really far. Yet, my phone is an essential tool for my work,’ explains a local residentDigicel mentions an outage linked to insecurity
In a note published on its social media on August 4, 2026, Digicel stated that its teams had not yet completed the repair work related to a cut that occurred on National Road 2. According to the operator, insecurity in the affected area limits technicians’ access to the site, thus delaying the necessary intervention to fully restore the service.
However, this explanation has not been enough to ease the frustration of several citizens in Les Cayes and neighboring communities. Some say they are tired of a situation they consider unbearable and feel there is little hope of seeing a quick improvement in the quality of their connection in the coming days..
Calls for Intervention by CONATEL and the State
Most of the people interviewed are calling for firmer action from the authorities responsible for the sector.
A journalist believes that the State must play its role as regulator. “CONATEL should better regulate the operations of the companies. Communication has become a real headache in many areas,” he says.
“No country can function without communication. It’s surprising to see two networks in a country and neither provides satisfactory service,” says an official from a public office in the South.
