Zambia Cancels Zed Mobile Licences Over Rollout Failures
ZAMBIA · TELECOMS
Key Facts
- —Who is Zed Mobile Zambia’s fourth mobile network, run by Beeline Telecoms Limited. It is the only locally owned private operator in the market.
- —What happened The regulator ZICTA cancelled both of its licences with effect from Monday 15 September 2026.
- —Did it ever operate Yes. It launched commercially on the 098 prefix on 10 August 2024 and has subscribers.
- —Why the licences went Rollout behind target, quality of service below the minimum standard, unpaid statutory and regulatory fees, and technical and financial capability requirements not met.
- —What else goes Radio-frequency spectrum and numbering resources are being withdrawn as well.
- —What happens to customers ZICTA says it is facilitating refunds for unused airtime and bundles.
Zambia spent five years trying to create a fourth mobile operator. The regulator has just switched it off.
Zambia’s communications regulator cancelled both licences held by Beeline Telecoms Limited, which trades as Zedmobile, with effect from 15 September 2026. The operator had been running commercial services since August 2024.
What Was Cancelled
ZICTA withdrew the Network Licence, reference ZICTA/ICT/ECN/0156, and the Service Licence, reference ZICTA/ICT/ECS/0156.
It is also withdrawing the radio-frequency spectrum and the numbering resources assigned to the company.
The legal basis is section 18(1)(b) and (g) of the Information and Communication Technologies Act, Chapter 169 of the Laws of Zambia.
ZICTA board chairperson Professor Mundia Muya gave the briefing. Engineer Collins Mbulo is the authority’s director-general.
Why
ZICTA says network rollout fell short of the targets set in the licence conditions.
It says quality of service did not meet the minimum standards required.
It says statutory and regulatory fees went unpaid, and that technical and financial capability requirements were not met.
All four grounds are the regulator’s account. Beeline’s own case is known only through ZICTA’s summary of it.
The Process
ZICTA issued notices of intention to cancel on 31 August 2026.
Beeline submitted written representations on 10 September.
The authority says it assessed them legally, technically and in regulatory terms, found them unsatisfactory, and cancelled on 15 September.
No appeal has been reported.
It Did Launch
Zed Mobile went commercially live on the 098 prefix on 10 August 2024.
Managing Director Chisanga Kaziya and the then technology and science minister Felix Mutati attended the launch.
ZICTA’s own board chairperson refers to failures since the company launched in 2024.
The refunds ZICTA is arranging for unused airtime are the clearest evidence that the network had paying customers.
Five Years of Delay
The licence was awarded on 22 February 2021, with a condition to launch within six months.
It was ZICTA’s third attempt at creating a fourth operator, after UZI Zambia forfeited its licence in June 2020.
Launch deadlines were extended to 30 June 2022, then 31 January 2023, then July 2023, then January 2024.
The ministry said at the time that the board found the company’s reasons valid, without specifying them.
Not Everyone Agrees
The opposition figure Emmanuel Mwamba called the cancellation unpatriotic, in bad faith and against the national interest.
He argued that it destroys Zambia’s only locally owned private telecoms operator, citing 200 full-time jobs and more than 14,000 indirect ones.
He has demanded that ZICTA publish the regulatory record and the notices it issued.
Those employment figures are his, not the company’s or the regulator’s.
The Market It Leaves
Zambia’s mobile market returns to three operators: MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia and the state-owned Zamtel.
A fourth entrant was meant to push prices down and widen rural coverage.
Zambian mobile data prices remain among the higher ones in the region. That is the policy problem the fourth licence was meant to address.
ZICTA has not said whether it will offer the licence again.
What to Watch
Whether Beeline appeals, and on what grounds.
How the refunds for unused airtime and bundles are administered, and over what period.
Whether ZICTA publishes the amount of unpaid fees, which it has not quantified.
And whether a fourth licence is offered again, which would tell you whether the policy or the operator failed.
More: Africa news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did ZICTA cancel?
Both licences held by Beeline Telecoms Limited, trading as Zedmobile. They are the Network Licence ECN/0156 and the Service Licence ECS/0156, effective 15 September 2026.
Did Zed Mobile ever launch?
Yes. It launched commercial services on the 098 prefix on 10 August 2024.
Why were the licences cancelled?
ZICTA cited rollout shortfalls, quality of service below standard, unpaid fees, and unmet technical and financial capability requirements.
What is the legal basis?
Section 18(1)(b) and (g) of the Information and Communication Technologies Act, Chapter 169 of the Laws of Zambia.
What happens to subscribers?
ZICTA says it is facilitating refunds for unused airtime and bundles.
How many operators does Zambia have now?
Three: MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia and the state-owned Zamtel.
Sources: ZICTA, News Diggers, Zambia Monitor, The Zambian Observer, TechAfrica News, Developing Telecoms.
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