This is one of those news items not many of our readers care about. But since we try to give you a global picture, we’re going with it, nonetheless…
The government of Mozambique issued a long anticipated tender for a third mobile operator license. The reserve price is set at $25 million and submission date on July 6th. The winner will be able to begin operating within 30 days of the license being granted, according to the Transport and Communications Minister – Paulo Zucula.
Among the interested companies is Portugal Telecom, which has previously said it would bid for a 3rd license.
According to Mobile World analysts’ figures, there were 6.55 million subscribers in the country at the end of 2009, representing a population penetration level of 36%. mCel (Mozambique Cellular) is the leading player with a marketshare of 65%, with Vodacom accounting for the rest (35%).
The government had plans to sell a small stake in mCel in the past, but no progress has been made so far.
[Via: CellularNews]