Seven companies are bidding in Norway's sale of four third-generation mobile phone licenses, the government said Monday, the deadline for accepting bid offers.
The official candidates are Norwegian operators Telenor Mobile, which is state-owned, Tele 2 and NetCom; Finnish state-controlled Sonera, which is bidding with Enitel of Norway in a joint venture, Broadband Mobile; British mobile phone operator Orange, owned by French state-controlled France Telecom; Swedish firm Tele 1 Europe, linked with US firm Western Wireless; and a consortium led by diversified Norwegian group Orkla.
Sonera already owns a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) license in Norway and Spain, via its 15-percent stake in Xfera, and is participating in the German UMTS license auction.
The four UMTS licenses are to be awarded in late October or early November on a so-called "beauty contest" basis of the quality of the bids. — (AFP)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
