Bulgaria calls tender for fourth mobile carrier
Bulgaria's telecom regulator CRC has called a tender to grant a 3G mobile network licence to facilitate the launch of a fourth mobile operator in the country, the watchdog said on September 30 2011.The initial price for the tender has been set at 49.5 million leva, with a bidding increment of one million leva and a participation deposit of two million leva.Prospective bidders will be allowed to submit applications for the 15-year UMTS licence until November 14. The tender itself is scheduled for December 7.Currently, as many as three telecoms operate in Bulgaria - Mobiltel, Globul and Vivacom.The decision for launching a tender for a fourth carrier has been prompted by a request for obtaining a 3G licence by local company 4G COM in early July.On October 1, CPC's chairman Vesselin Bozhkov said that six companies had shown interest in the tender, but declined to name them.CPC last held a tender to award a 3G mobile licence three years ago, but the procedure was terminated as only one company filed an offer, Liechtenstein-registered TelCo, although a total eight companies bought tender documents for the auction./Source: The Sofia Echo/