The Syrian state has decided to postpone its auction of a third mobile licence until the country’s political situation improves, according to a Dow Jones report late last week. No new date for the tender, which had been due to take place on 27 April, has…
The Syrian state has decided to postpone its auction of a third mobile licence until the country’s political situation improves, according to a Dow Jones report late last week. No new date for the tender, which had been due to take place on 27 April, has been assigned.
The decision is reportedly due to the fact that key officials on a supervisory committee tasked with the auction had been sacked as part of the government changes enacted by President Bashar Assad.
QTel and STC had been the only bidders to remain in the race, after fellow prequalified suitors France Telecom, Etisalat and Turkcell dropped out, citing issues with the financial and technical conditions.
Those two bidders have now submitted financial and technical bids, and will find out the results of their evaluation on 12 April. The tender will take place on 27 April.Deputy telecoms minister Mohammad Al-Jallali had placed a minimum US$122m reserve price on the third mobile licence, but it was expected that the final price could come down marginally given the reduced interest.
The country reportedly has a mobile penetration of about 54%.
