Lyca Mobile, a leading virtual telecommunication mobile network, has shutdown its services in South Africa after six years of operations in the country. The telecom advise its subscribers to move their mobile number to another telecommunication network to avoid the risk of losing them completely.
This closure of operations in SA has impacted the subscribers in such a way that they can no longer make voice calls, send texts, or access internet service using Lyca Mobile data.
Lyca Mobile proclaimed itself as the largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) globally. The telecom announced its departure on it officially website. However, the reasons for the closure hasn't been specified.
In addition to statement released on it officially website, "MVNO will cancel any unused credit in the Lyca Mobile account. While users can request a refund by contacting customer support, those who move to a different operator without doing so will not be eligible for a refund", reported by Techpoint Africa.
Lyca's departure leaves over 16 million former customers scrambling for new service providers. The company had initially entered the South African market in 2017 with high hopes, leveraging Cell C's network infrastructure and targeting a growing mobile user base.
However, industry experts speculate that intense competition, a challenging economic climate and cyberattack it had in October 2023 that caused service disruptions for millions of its customers globally might have contributed to their sudden exit.
The closure has caused immediate disruption, with Lyca's South African network no longer operational. Calls, texts, and mobile data are all inaccessible for former subscribers. The company did provide a deadline of January 9 for customers to port their numbers to other networks, minimizing the risk of losing them permanently.