Prequalified bidders France Telecom, Etisalat and Turkcell have all dropped out of the tender for the country’s third mobile licence, leaving just QTel and STC in the race.
Those two bidders have now submitted financial and technical bids, and will find…
Prequalified bidders France Telecom, Etisalat and Turkcell have all dropped out of the tender for the country’s third mobile licence, leaving just QTel and STC in the race.
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 is thought that the final price could come down marginally given the reduced interest.
The telecoms ministry said that the three withdrawing operators had taken issue with some of the licence conditions, including 25% revenue share with the government and a seven-year state monopoly on infrastructure, according to a translation of its statement.
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.
The country has a mobile penetration of about 40%.
