Benin withdraws telecoms licence for Globacom

Benin’s telecommunications regulator has withdrawn the operating licence of Nigerian mobile telecoms company Globacom’s local unit in a dispute over new terms, according to a document seen on Tuesday.

The regulator, ARCEP-Benin, said that it took the decision after negotiations with Glo Mobile Benin to renew its licence broke down earlier this month after the company refused new conditions imposed by the government.

Officials with the parent company, which is owned by Nigerian billionaire Mike Adenuga, were not immediately available for comment. The ARCEP document did not say what the government’s new conditions were, but a source close to the regulator, who asked not to be named, said they included an increase in the cost of the licence.

Glo Mobile Benin said it had over 1.6 million subscribers in 2015, according to the most recent statistics available on ARCEP’s website. Globacom also operates mobile networks in Nigeria and Ghana.