www.WirelessFederation.com/news: UAE-based telco Etisalat hopes to receive Libya’s third GSM license by the end of the year 2009. The company is also interested in expanding its service to the Lebanese market.

According to Jamal al-Jarwan, head of Etisalat’s international investments, the company is waiting for privatization in Lebanon and would like to take a majority stake in one of the existing two operators there.

The license tender was launched by Libya’s General Telecommunication Authority on February 16, 2009. The result was supposed to be announced in following June, however, interest in the concession only gathered pace in July.