| Bharti Airtel and Reliance Telecom are among a number of Indian mobile operators expressing interest in bidding for a GSM license in Bhutan. This would be the second mobile license for Bhutan.
Government owned entities are not allowed to bid. In addition, foreign bidders must partner with a Bhutanese company and will be allowed to own no more than 49% of the joint venture. Bhutan had invited international bidders, as local operators do not have adequate funds to roll out services on their own.
The licensee will be permitted to offer mobile virtual network operator services and will be required to provide mobile number portability. Operators will be required to offer services like emergency, directory enquiry, operator assistance, national and international long-distance services through any licensed operator's network or its own network, in addition to other optional services.
Bhutan’s first mobile operator began in November 2003 and has about 50,000 subscribers and over 40,000 fixed-line customers. State-owned Bhutan Telecom is the sole mobile operator.
Source: Business Standard - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News |