Gambian regulator PURA (Public Utilities Regulatory Authority) has ordered mobile provider Comium to suspend its services after it failed to pay a number of required fees.
Local newspaper The Point reported that PURA has issued the notice of suspension and given Comium until 1st October 2021 to explain why it has not paid its outstanding spectrum, licensing and international gateway fees for 2020 and 2021, and hence whether the suspension should apply or not.
A statement from PURA advised Comium’s customers to “secure an alternative service provider pending the final determination of this matter. The public is further informed that Comium has been directed by the Authority to inform all its subscribers of the suspension notice served to them and Comium’s right to make a written or oral representation to the Authority on or before 1 October 2021.”
“The Authority remains resolved to take into consideration any representation made to it by Comium during the notice period and the extent to which the public is likely to suffer losses, damages, or inconveniences if Comium’s licences are suspended.”
Comium won its operating licence for Gambia in 2006, and launched a GSM service the following year. TeleGeography notes that it is the sole provider in the country that has not launched a 3G or 4G network, instead pushing its value voice offering. It is the third-placed of the country’s four operators.
