Ugandan government slams regulator over Smile fine

The Uganda Communications Commission has come under fire from the country’s government for failing to recoup a penalty of UGX2 billion (US$540,000) from beleaguered operator Smile Communications.

Smile abruptly stopped operating its TD-LTE 4G network in February last year, and PC Tech reports that its failure to inform the regulator of its plans puts the operator on the hook for a fine of 10% of its annual revenue.

It has emerged that Smile’s network was disconnected by American Tower Company (ATC) due to the operator owing outstanding fees. The companies are currently in a legal standoff over the issue, although CommsUpdate notes that should this dispute be resolved, Smile’s shareholders have approved a US$51 million refinancing agreement that could allow the operator to re-enter the market.