Vodafone Group withdrew its interest from obtaining a Lebanese management contract to run one of the country’s two state-owned mobile operators, reports Reuters.

The withdrawal will come as a blow to Lebanon’s telecoms ministry, which has been seeking to issue long-term contracts to operators for nearly two years.

Zain managed the country’s largest operator Touch since 2004, while Egypt’s Orascom Telecom Media and Technology (OTMT) managed Alfa since 2009, but both arrangements expired in 2013, and have since been running on short-term rolling contracts.

Due to Lebanon’s political struggles, the country’s telecoms ministry was unable to invite bidders to take on three to five year agreements until earlier this year.

According to local reports, six international companies registered interest in Lebanon at the time, including Zain, Vodafone, Orange, Maxis, Turkcell and a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, Vodafone revealed it had pulled out of the running, stating yesterday it “decided not to pursue the opportunity in Lebanon”.

“We have no further comment to make beyond this.”

The tender has already been hit with controversy after Orascom failed to make the cut because Lebanon’s telecoms ministry claimed it missed the 1 July deadline to submit a bid, which the company denied.

Earlier this month, Turkcell said it was conducting a preliminary review regarding participation in the tender in Lebanon, stating that “no board of directors decision had been taken”.

According to GSMA Intelligence, Touch has more than 2.3 million connections in the country with a 52 per cent market share, while Alfa boasts more than 2 million connections, representing the remaining 48 per cent.

A decision on the tender is reportedly due on 8 September.