Damascus - Minister of Communication and Technology Emad al-Sabouny on Sunday said that the accession of the 3rd mobile operator to the Syrian market will be governed by the best international measures.
At a press conference, Sabouny pointed out that there will be a 3-phase tender with an open and transparent competition.
Speaking about the mechanisms of the entry of the third operator, Sabouny said that the Ministry signed a contract with a German company as an international advisory company, adding that the company had conducted a study on the mobile phones' market in Syria.
Minister Sabouny said that the communication law no 18 issued on June 9th, 2010 is considered as the legal framework governing the accession of the 3rd operator, adding that the law aims at improving service quality, decreasing prices, increasing revenues and subscribers numbers and attracting foreign investments.
He said that the Economic Commission at the Cabinet will supervise the project, expecting that the 3rd operator's procedures will take 5 to 7 months starting from the announcement's releasing date which is scheduled after few days.
Syriatel and MTN are the only mobile operators in Syria, linked to the Syrian Public Telecommunication Establishment (STE) throw B.O.T contracts for 15 years.
The two companies' customers are estimated at 10.3 millions.
By M.Nassr/ Mazen
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2010
