The management of Vivacell Telecom Company in South Sudan has issued a statement regretting a notice of suspension by the government, but expressed hope that the matter would be resolved soon.

“Vivacell regrets this unfortunate event in our operations and the inconvenience it has caused to our valuable customers. We are expeditiously working with relevant authorities to have the matter resolved with the highest priority and we are confident that our operations shall continue across the country,” a public notice dated 21 March reads in part.

The notice was a response to a government order giving the company one week to obtain an operational license and sign an interconnect agreement with the ministry of information or cease operations.

The decision sparked public reactions with members of the public expressing concerns that the employees would lose jobs should the company decides to stop operations.

Vivacell was launched in 2008 after Lebanon’s Fattouch Investment Group purchased South Sudanese company NOW (Network of the World) in 2007.

In addition to Vivacell, Kuwait’s Zain and South Africa’s MTN are currently operating in South Sudan.