| Sri Lanka's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has invited expressions of interest for a fifth mobile operator license. The license will cost US$ 4 million and the offer will be open until June 30.
"We invite expressions of interest from recognized local and foreign organizations with experience in 3G telephony," said Kanchana Ratwatte, TRC's director general.
Dialog Telekom, a unit of Telekom Malaysia, is the largest of Sri Lanka's four mobile operators. The other operators are Celltel Lanka, a fully owned unit of Millicom International; Hutchison, a unit of Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications International; and Mobitel, a unit of Sri Lanka Telecom.
Ratwatte said all four mobile operators have responded positively to a TRC invitation to bid for licenses to offer 3G services.
"We're in the process of evaluating the proposals. It may take a few weeks before we give out the licenses," he said.
The 3G licenses will cost US$ 5 million each. Last week, Dialog said it would spend US$ 150 million this year to expand its network, which includes a proposed 3G network. The company has already conducted 3G trials. Mobitel is expected to conduct 3G trials this month.
Source: Dow Jones - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News
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