(Ecofin Agency) - Benin’s telecommunication and posts regulatory body (ARCEP), has stopped the activities of Glo Mobile, subsidiary of the Nigerian telecommunication group Globacom, in the country.

The regulatory body has officially notified Glo Mobile of its decision on December 18, 2017, following the failure, in September 2017, of talks, started in June 2017, between that company and the government for the renewal of its license.

According to leaks from the ARCEP, Glo Mobile supposedly refused to pay the new license fee set by Benin’s government.

Under its decision, ARCEP requires Glo Mobile to stop selling new sim cards and top-up cards in the country. The telecommunication company must also notify its subscribers of the upcoming cessation of business and ask them to use their remaining airtime within 30 days after the notification’s issuance. Glo Mobile must also keep its passive infrastructures, shared with other operators, for three months.

Within four months, Benin’s telecommunication sector has lost two mobile operators. Indeed, on August, 2,2017, Bell Bénin Communications SA preceded Glo Mobile. In the county, only three telecom operators are in activity. They are namely Libercom, Spacetel MTN, and Moov.