Mobile firms claim rough treatment as tender starts
The bid for one UMTS and one GSM packet of channels will start in earnest in less than a month. Private stationary operators, such as Netia, Tele2 or Dialog have already announced their interest and at least two foreign telecoms are thought to have submitted offers as well.
Existing mobile networks are complaining that they were discriminated against by the tender rules set out by the Office of Telecommunications and Post Regulation (URTiP). One element that they claim is particularly unfair is the stipulation that almost 100 GSM channels must be bought as a whole packet. Representatives of Idea, Plus and Era claim they would be willing to purchase less than 20. The packet system has its purpose, however.
"The itention of the office is to introduce new companies in to the market," says URTiP's spokesman, Jacek Strzałkowski. The tender has been specially designed to allow that. Competitiveness value and offered price will constitute 60 percent of the mark given to each offer.
The president of URTiP, Witold Graboś, claims that the market is competitive already and shows price dynamics to prove it. In fact, prices are falling, but they are still at a relatively high level. Poland is still more expensive than other post-communist countries. A fourth operator should remedy that, just as freeing the stationary telecommunication market forced ex-monopolist TP SA to introduce significant cuts.
Existing mobile networks are complaining that they were discriminated against by the tender rules set out by the Office of Telecommunications and Post Regulation (URTiP). One element that they claim is particularly unfair is the stipulation that almost 100 GSM channels must be bought as a whole packet. Representatives of Idea, Plus and Era claim they would be willing to purchase less than 20. The packet system has its purpose, however.
"The itention of the office is to introduce new companies in to the market," says URTiP's spokesman, Jacek Strzałkowski. The tender has been specially designed to allow that. Competitiveness value and offered price will constitute 60 percent of the mark given to each offer.
The president of URTiP, Witold Graboś, claims that the market is competitive already and shows price dynamics to prove it. In fact, prices are falling, but they are still at a relatively high level. Poland is still more expensive than other post-communist countries. A fourth operator should remedy that, just as freeing the stationary telecommunication market forced ex-monopolist TP SA to introduce significant cuts.
