Multinational telecommunications company Vodafone has allegedly been given a licence to operate a fourth mobile phone network in Southern African country.

A source close to the company has said there are plans to launch local operations either next month or in May in a market that is dominated by MTN Zambia with over 5 million customers.

The company is also said to be recruiting University of Zambia (UNZA) students and graduates as employees and marketing agents.

It's not clear if or when the licence was issued to Vodafone by Zambian authorities, how much the license would have cost the company or other relevant terms and conditions.

The country's ICT industry regulator Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has not responded to media queries on the matter.

And Adam Liversage, Vodafone senior media relations manager, external affairs, Vodafone Group Services Limited said the company declines to comment. "We received your inquiry below via Vodafone Carrier Services. However, Vodafone is declining to comment," Liversage said.

Over the past few years, the government has threatened to facilitate the introduction of a fourth mobile phone operator in light of alleged poor services and the high cost of communication by the three existing mobile phone operators - MTN Zambia, Airtel Zambia and Zamtel.

Authorities claim competition by the fourth mobile phone operator will force a reduction in the cost of communication and improve service delivery within the country's mobile phone market.

Network congestion, dropped calls and insufficient network coverage are some of the challenges faced by the current operators.

ZICTA has also threatened to take legal action against the operators for poor service delivery.

The Zambian mobile phone market currently has just above 11 million customers.