DOHA - Citing the "level of international interest", ictQATAR, the country's telecommunications regulatory body, has extended the closing date for applications for the country's second fixed telecom licence from March 6 to April 3. The final decision on the successful applicant is expected to be made in May.
Additional levels of interest have come from two additional players - Verizon and Vodafone -- who have thrown their hats into the ring, adding to the six already in the fray. The other interested parties are AT&T, Batelco, BT, Eutelia of Italy, Jordan Telecom (Orange/France Telecom), and PCCW of Hong Kong. Etisalat pulled out at the outset, supposedly unhappy at losing out on the second mobile licence for which it was a strong favourite.
Incidentally, Vodafone owns the country's second mobile licence as part of a consortium with the Qatar Foundation and will be offering service by the end of this year.
Unlike the case with the issuance of the mobile phone licence, this time around it will not be an auction but more of an opportunity for the aspirants to strut their stuff in a 'beauty contest' as it is called in industry parlance. ictQATAR will look at areas like coverage, and level and quality of service and level of commitment to the public.
The winner will have to shell out QR10m before collecting on the licence. The fixed line licence will not just cover landlines, but the Internet as well. The licence will include authorisation to operate an international gateway.
Dr Hessa Al Jaber, ictQATAR Secretary-General, said: "We are delighted that so many renowned international operators are interested in competing here for fixed line home and business customers. Just like in the mobile market, choice in fixed line service providers will bring consumers excellent service and value."
She said: "We are confident that the award of this licence will further ictQATAR's vision of state-of-the-art infrastructure with high-speed broadband and innovative services for every Qatari citizen and business.'
© The Peninsula 2008
