The IT Ministry has reportedly asked the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to auction the 3G licences for mobile operators within the coming three months. According to reports, the government hopes to generate revenues as well as encourage foreign investment in the telecom sector.

With the increase in adoption of iPhones and smartphones, the demand for better broadband services has been on the rise. As per sources, the PTA has said that they will be inviting bids for the 3G auction soon.

Further, sources claim, in the event that a company which is currently not offering services in the country wins a licence, they will be required to wait until March 2013 before they can launch their services.

The Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) has reportedly declined to grant MTN Swaziland, the country’s sole mobile network operator, a 3G licence.

MTN was hoping to have received the concession at the end of last year, with CEO Ambrose Dlamini announcing that negotiations were at an ‘advanced’ stage. No explanation has yet been forthcoming from the regulator.

MTN Swaziland is believed to have carried out a month long pilot of four UMTS base stations last year. It was then granted a temporary 3G licence to cover several events including the Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) summit, held last August.

The permit was valid from 16 August to 30 September, with 3G services allowed to be offered to post-paid customers only. At the end of September 2010 MTN Swaziland had 679,000 subscribers.

Zain Malawi gets 3G Licence.

MACRA has awarded a 3G licence to Zain Malawi, which is expected to enhance high-speed wireless internet access.

Zain marketing director, Enwell Kadango confirmed that discussions that started between the company and MACRA since 2006 has finally borne fruit as its licence conditions have now been changed.
3G is the telecommunication hardware standard and general technology for the mobile networking superseding 2.5G system which will now allow speed in data processing,” said Kadango who added that Malawi is taking after most developing countries that are using this technology.
Currently Zain Malawi is about to finish its equipment installation across the country which will be compatible with the new system which offers fast downloading speeds of between 2-8mbps.
Malawi’s Zain CEO Fayaz King said 3G would also allow users to watch television besides connecting to the internet and make video calls.
TNM Limited Zain’s competitor in the market got the licence sometime back but it is only now that the company has been testing it.

Zain marketing director, Enwell Kadango confirmed that discussions that started between the company and MACRA since 2006 has finally borne fruit as its licence conditions have now been changed.

3G is the telecommunication hardware standard and general technology for the mobile networking superseding 2.5G system which will now allow speed in data processing,” said Kadango who added that Malawi is taking after most developing countries that are using this technology.

Currently Zain Malawi is about to finish its equipment installation across the country which will be compatible with the new system which offers fast downloading speeds of between 2-8mbps.

Malawi’s Zain CEO Fayaz King said 3G would also allow users to watch television besides connecting to the internet and make video calls.

TNM Limited, Zain’s competitor in the market got the licence sometime back but it is only now that the company has been testing it.

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Cosmote applies for Romanian 3G licence

Mobile operator Cosmote has submitted an offer for a 3G licence to the Romanian general inspectorate for ICT (IGCTI). The company expects to hear by 15 October whether its application was successful. The licence costs around USD 35 million, while Cosmote has already budgeted for the associated network capital expenditure. Cosmote launched services in Romania in December 2005 and has around 535,000 customers and network coverage of 90 percent of the population. Rivals Orange and Vodafone already launched 3G services earlier this year in Romania.

Source- http://www.telecompaper.com

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