14 December 2021

Beeline Telecom, Zambia’s fourth mobile licensee, has a deadline of June 30 2022 for its commercial launch.

The operator was issued its operating licence in February 2021 by the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA). Under the terms of the licence, Beeline was obliged to launch services within six months of receiving this permit or risk having it revoked.

However, ZICTA admitted the procurement of equipment and installations has made it difficult for Beeline to commence operations within the original timeframe. As a result, the regulator has offered Beeline an extended grace period, acknowledging that it has faced challenges.

In 2018, the authority issued the same licence to Uzi Mobile but the company failed to fulfil its investment pledges. It originally promised to invest US$400m in mobile phone operations, creating 450 direct jobs.

Uzi, owned by Unitel of the Netherlands, had its licence revoked in 2020 after failing to commence operations.