Vodafone Cameroon has officially ceased operations after its parent Afrimax “reluctantly concluded that it was no longer commercially viable to return” to the country.

In a statement released Friday (10 November), Afrimax Cameroon said it ended operations with immediate effect, following the withdrawal of its licence by the ministry of posts and telecommunications and Cameroon’s telecoms regulatory board.

The company’s licence has been suspended since 14 September 2017.

Afrimax operated Vodafone Cameroon after the two groups struck a non-equity partner agreement in 2016.

However, the partnership ran into issues after the country’s regulator ruled that its licence was invalid, according to news agency APS, because it was obtained after Afrimax acquired another company called Northwave.

APS reported that the regulator ordered the suspension of Vodafone Cameroon’s services in September because, under the terms of licences in Cameroon, the rights cannot be transferred to another company.

The suspension halted Vodafone Cameroon’s plans to extend its 4G roll out across 10 regions in the country.

According to local website Africanews, Vodafone Cameroon gained 15,000 customers in four months of operations.

Afrimax added that Vodafone Group had no equity interest in Afrimax or Vodafone Cameroon.

Vodafone could now turn its attentions in Africa to the Zambian market, where it is reportedly eyeing a bid for a mobile licence.