A renewed tender for a second GSM mobile telephony license will be launched in the coming weeks, and it will be based on more flexible performance specifications, reports said.
The Minister of Information Technology Ahmed Friaâ was quoted by Upline Securities as saying that the original tender for the license was cancelled in a shock decision on July 27th because the government was dissatisfied with the $381 million bid submitted by the Méditel consortium.
Friaâ explained that the allocation of a second GSM license is urgent because of an increasing saturation of the existing network that has forced a virtual moratorium on new subscribers.
Tunisie Télécom is currently operating 365,000 mobile lines, but the immediate demand is estimated at up to 600,000, said the source.
Friaâ has underlined the concern of Tunisia to be in the forefront of the information technology developments. The objective is to guarantee the presence of Tunisia on the international scene, support competitiveness and protect the national identity – Albawaba.com
