Bahrain Regulator Seeks Consultants to Advise of Mobile License Award
Bahrain's telecoms regulator, the TRA has issued an invitation to consultancy firms to submit their proposals for assisting in designing and managing the competitive process for the selection of the third Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
TRA's General Director, Mr. Alan Horne, commented: “We are aiming to design a simple, transparent and competitive award process in order to select a winner capable of offering innovative and affordable mobile services that will strengthen the competition in Bahrain. We are not aiming to generate high revenue through this process, as we strongly believe that a too high cost of entry would eventually be transferred to consumers.”
In April, TRA issued a request for expressions of interest in the third MNO license including a request for comments on various aspects of the award process. Seven responses were received, six of which expressed interest in possibly becoming the third MNO. It is worth noting that this process was conducted for the purpose of collecting information on the preferred award process and the conditions involved, and was not considered as a stage of the award process.
The information gathered from the responses received will assist TRA and the appointed consultancy firm in designing a competitive and transparent award process that is intended to maximise consumers' benefits through enhanced competition with innovative and affordable mobile services.
TRA intends to issue the invitation to tender for the 3rd Mobile Licence, by mid-August and expect to receive submissions by the end of October. The target date for announcing the winner to become the third MNO in Bahrain is early December 2008.
Posted to the site on 21st May 2008
