MTN Uganda, the East African nation’s biggest wireless carrier, said full-year profit was lowered by 62.3-billion shillings ($17.3-million) in one-off payments for a short-term license and costs for terminating the services of a supplier.
The unit of MTN Group posted net income of 340.4-billion shillings for the year through December, partly driven by the expansion of its subscriber base by almost 11% to 15.7-million users.
The two payments comprised $14.1-million to the Uganda Communications Commission for a temporary permit while it negotiated a new one following the expiry of an initial 20-year license in October 2018, and a further $3-million paid to Invesco Uganda after ending a support-services agreement, the company said.
MTN Uganda’s license was renewed for 12 years in July 2020 for $100-million and after it agreed to list at least 20% of its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange.