Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) confirmed to TelcoTitans that it had reached an out-of-court settlement with Vodacom Lesotho, after the body attempted to revoke the operator’s unified licence.
When asked for further comment, an LCA spokesperson refused, stating that “we still need to brief the new Minister of Communications on this development”.
However, lawyers are expected to present a formalised settlement to the High Court for endorsement next week, according to the Lesotho Times. The Lesotho Times also claimed that the LCA has agreed to withdraw a fine imposed on the operator.
The legal dispute dates back to October 2020 when the LCA not only decided to withdraw the operator’s licence, but also to issue it with a fine of LSL 134m (£6.6m/€7.5m) for alleged violations of licence conditions and national corporate governance rules.
The LCA made the ruling after claiming Vodacom Lesotho had failed to pay an LSL 40.2m first instalment on time. It was reported that the remainder would have been suspended for five years, on condition that the operator did not break any rules.
Vodacom Lesotho has faced a series of challenges in recent years, both at the hands of the LCA and the national government. The operator debuted its 5G network in 2018, but concerns were raised over its availability following issues related to governmental corruption and interference relating to licencing by the LCA.
Earlier this year claims suggested that the LCA did not have the capacity to monitor the implementation of the 5G network, with allegations of bribery against a government minister approving a supplier deal
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