One of Tajikistan’s mobile phone operators, TK Mobile, is withdrawing from the country’s telecommunications market.

TK Mobile in February distributed notices to its customers not to recharge their balances.  The company, which has only 10,000 customers, turned off communications in March.

Nourmad Shukurov, the deputy director of TK Mobile, says they have run into debt to their parent company – ZTE.  

“ZTE has purchased equipment for use but we have failed to repay the debt.  ZTE has applied to the Economic Court asking to declare us bankrupt,” Shukurov added.  

Established in 2004, TK Mobile has provided telecommunications in the CDMA200 standard.  ZTE owns 51 percent of the shares and the Tajik side assumes the 49% ownership interest in TK Mobile.