Lyca Mobile Shuts Down in South Africa

South Africa is seeing another multinational exit with network operator Lyca Mobile’s shutdown. Last week, the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) stated that it’s cutting ties in SA. Users had until January 9, 2024, to hop onto another network or face the risk of losing their phone number and access to text, call and data services. Lyca’s announcement is related but the company’s long-time partner Cell-C is facing significant financial challenges. Cell-C, however, has lost 9 million customers between 2021 and 2013, and has a R10.7 billion debt.