Bahrain Regulator Denies Plans for 3rd GSM Network This Year

Bahrain's telecoms regulator, the Telecoms Regulatory Authority has refuted a local media report that it is planning to award a 3rd GSM operator license by the end of this year. In a statement, the regulator confirmed that it is planning to award a 3rd license, but not until next year at the earliest.

"We will complete the exercise of receiving comments on the issue by October 7 and work towards zeroing in on the recipient of the third licence by December," Alan Horne, General Director, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Bahrain, had told the Bahrain Tribune earlier this week.

In the regulator's review, they said that 80% of subscribers are unhappy with services from the existing operators. Overall, 62% of residential and 90% of business customers were reported to be satisfied with the quality of their mobile services, but only 22% felt that the pricing was satisfactory.

The Mobile World notes that there are two incumbent operators in Bahrain - Batelco and MTC Vodafone. However, population penetration levels run at around 120%, leaving little space for a 3rd operator to enter and gain customers.

Posted to the site on 10th October 2007