Saudi incumbent STC remains optimistic about winning Syria’s third mobile licence, CEO Saud al-Daweesh was quoted telling Reuters.
The operator is now waiting to hear back from the government about when the process will start again, he said, adding that…
Saudi incumbent STC remains optimistic about winning Syria’s third mobile licence, CEO Saud al-Daweesh was quoted telling Reuters.
The operator is now waiting to hear back from the government about when the process will start again, he said, adding that the licence would make a good fit for its existing portfolio, which al-Daweesh said spans 70-80% of the Muslim world.
The Syrian government postponed the auction indefinitely on 27 April, the day the tender was due to take place, amid an escalating crackdown on protesters in the country.
STC and Qatari incumbent QTel were undeterred from the upheaval, submitting technical and financial bids in time for the deadline. Prequalified bidders France Telecom, Turkcell and Etisalat, however, dropped out of the race citing licence conditions including 25% revenue share with the government and a seven-year state monopoly on infrastructure.
France Telecom had also noted that the 1800 MHz frequencies on offer are in a lower band than that occupied by existing operators MTN Syria and SyriaTel. As such, the winner would have to build a “denser and therefore more expensive network”, said Elie Girard, the group’s SVP of strategy and development.
Deputy telecoms minister Mohammad Al-Jallali had placed a minimum US$122m reserve price on the third mobile licence, but it was thought that the final price could come down marginally given the reduced interest.
The country has a mobile penetration of about 40%.
