Posted on 07/19/2003 11:07:52 AM PDT by cc2k
US invites bids for mobile phone licences in Iraq
Web posted at: 7/19/2003 1:7:23
Source ::: REUTERS
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| An Iraqi technician fixing telephone lines in a neighbourhood in Baghdad. Most of the phone lines are down in Iraq with people, who can afford it, using a form of satellite phone. |
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s US-led administration invited potential bidders for three mobile telephone licences across the country to express their interest.
The licences are one of the most potentially lucrative contracts to be offered in Iraq since the ousting of Saddam Hussein in April.
“Companies, individuals or consortia that may wish to apply for a mobile communications licence are invited to notify their interest to the CPA,” the Coalition Provisional Authority said in a statement.
The statement did not say whether Iraq had decided to use US technology or a rival more widespread European system that is used throughout the rest of the Middle East.
The CPA said it would issue a request for proposals in the week of July 28 that would be available to the firms that express interest. Proposals would be due 14 days later.
The CPA said it would award one licence each for northern, central and southern regions of Iraq. Applicants are required to bid for at least two regional licences.
“The CPA has chosen a regional licensing approach in order to enable the rapid rollout of services to the main population centres,” the statement said. Each license will be for 24 months.
The CPA said the 24-month period would let operators recover their investment but is also short enough to enable a future Iraqi authority to make key decisions on the long-term development of the sector.
“This is considerably shorter than is normal for a mobile telecommunications licence but reflects the special circumstances in Iraq,” the statement said.
The issue about which technology will be chosen for the national networks has become increasingly thorny, and an Iraqi official said earlier this month that no decision had been made.
A decision to use the global system for mobile communications (GSM) standard, widely used in Europe, would be a blow to US firms hoping to build a wireless network in Iraq based on the CDMA (code division multiple access) standard developed by California-based Qualcomm Inc .
One US lawmaker has urged US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to ensure that US-backed technology is deployed to safeguard American jobs and profits.
The rival GSM technology would allow Iraqi cellphone users to travel the region using just one phone. The US army and development workers now use a network in Baghdad built by WorldCom Inc, a bankrupt U.S. telecoms firm that is doing business under the name MCI.
The CPA said the new licences would serve more than 16 million people living in major cities including Baghdad, Basra, Kerbala and Arbil.
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Giving them the freedom that Americans do not have because of CDMA, which doesn't work in Europe, Asia, Africa, or S. America.
GSM is far superior to the junk provided by Verizon, Sprint, et al, because it works everywhere, has better encryption, is faster, and allows account portability across many countries.
I really do wish that Cingular and T-Mobile (Voicestream) had better GSM networks here in the States.
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