Orange scores 3G license in Jordan

Orange Jordan got the 15-year 3G license for Jordan, the country’s Telecommunication Regulatory Commission announced. The carrier paid JD 50 million ($70.5 million) for it, gaining exclusive rights to the frequency block for 12 months from the launch of the network, after which other operators will be allowed to bid for usage rights.

The France Telecom-owned company has already rolled out some of the required network infrastructure and is expected to launch 3G services within six months.

For the record, this is the second time the regulator has tried to issue the 3G licenses. The last attempt failed after none of the bidders met the regulator’s minimum terms.

According to the Mobile World subscriber tracker, there were just under 5.5 million mobile phone users in the country at the end of Q1 2009, representing a population penetration level of 87%.

[Via: CellularNews]