First Competing Mobile Licence in Qatar Attracts Big Guns

A total of twelve western and Arab telcos are reported to be in the running for the mobile phone licence currently up for grabs in Qatar. The tiny Gulf Arab state, home to 840,000 people, is one of the few remaining telecoms monopolies in the area and already has a mobile penetration of over 100%. Despite this, competition for the franchise is said to be fierce.

Among the dozen companies and consortia lining up to bid for the right to compete with incumbent operator Qatar Telecommunications are: Vodafone, AT&T, the Kuwaiti-based Mobile Telecommunications Co, Etisalat, Orascom Telecom of Egypt and Jordan Telecom Group. Bermuda-based mobile telecommunications operator Digicel, India's Reliance Communications Ltd and a consortium including Airtel were also on the shortlist.

The Qatar government said it aims to award the licence by October of this year.