Regulator threatens to withdraw Expresso’s licence

Senegal’s Authority of Regulation of Telecommunications and Posts (L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes, ARTP) has formally notified Expresso Telecom that it will withdraw the telco’s operating licence unless it improves services, reports Agence EcoFin. In addition to owing the regulator XOF7 billion (USD12.9 million) in outstanding fees, Expresso – the country’s third largest mobile network operator by subscribers – is accused of failing to fulfil service commitments contained in its licence specification, following years of under investment in its network. Whereas rivals Orange and Free have been offering LTE services since July 2018 and October 2019, respectively, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Expresso to postpone the launch of its own 4G network in March 2020. Local sources claim the regulator has already initiated procedures to cancel the telco’s licence unless improvements are made within an unspecified timeframe.