Vodafone withdraws interest from Lebanese management contract

Vodafone Group has withdrawn its interest from obtaining a Lebanese management contract to run one of the country’s two state-owned mobile operators, reports Reuters.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 telecom ministry, which has been seeking to issue long-term contracts to operators for nearly two years.

Zain has managed the country’s largest operator Touch since 2004, while Orascom Telecom Media and Technology has 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 instability, the country’s telecom ministry was unable to invite bidders to take on three-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.