The telecoms authority in Syria is looking at plans from specialists, like Germany's Siemens and Sweden's Ericsson, to set up some 1,700 mobile lines, the Al-Thawra official daily reported Sunday.
Two companies will be chosen over the next 45 days to set up 850,000 lines each, in line with an investment contract of a billion dollars over 15 years, renewable for three years. Kuwaiti, Qatari and Egyptian companies are also in the running.
An initial mobile network was set up last February in the capital, Damascus, the northern city of Aleppo and the western city of Latakieh for a trial period of a year. Siemens and Ericsson offered 60,000 lines free, but only 17,000 people took up the offer due to the high network access cost of some $1,200. — (AFP, Damascus)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
