Mobile market to remain fixed
The maintenance of such an environment will be to the detriment of consumers in a country infamous for its lack of mobile phone penetration - especially compared to neighbors Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Poland's telecom and post watchdog, URTiP, recently announ-ced plans to offer another GSM and UMTS license to the public. On top of that, the regulator has to date already awarded 13 firms licenses to become mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), which theoretically allows them to provide mobile services via wholesale agreements with existing operators.
Yet to date, no substantive progress has been made to open doors to a fourth competitor - whether real or through the MVNO business plan.
Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa, Polkomtel and Centertel still reign supreme.
Anna Hess, analyst at CDM Pekao, says the potential for new GSM license holders has been in the pipeline for over a year.
But the suggestion that competitors would be able to move successfully into the market has been treated with levity.
"There was just laughter," Hess says, noting that few analysts expected anything to emerge.
The costs are prohibitive as companies, such as state-owned Telekomunikacja Kolejowa, will attest to (see story, p. 10). Once a company has purchased a license - however cheaply - the cost of setting up a competitive mobile infrastructure reaches billions of złotys.
Pekao's Hess cites as an example mobile carrier Centertel, which began building its infrastructure later than its two peer operators.
"Centertel went through a lot of trouble to catch up," she notes.
The other scenarios analysts entertain include an international operator entering the market or the existing competition-sensitive GSM operators simply buying the license themselves to prevent the emergence of any new rival.
Thus far one of the only companies that has raised its hand in interest is Sferia. The company provides fixed-line services using CDMA mobile technology and in planning national expansion it is considering applying for a third-generation license. But nothing is concrete yet.
In the same vein, there has been scant progress in opening up the market to MVNOs - a business strategy that has performed well in Western Europe. Virgin Mobile, for instance, has carved out a market niche in the UK.
No so for Poland, as Tele2, Teleplus, SM Media and Onet.pl, among others, all hold MVNO licenses. But the trio of mobile operators has offered little headway into setting up wholesale agreements.
A spokesman for Tele2 has said that the Sweden-based operator's key strategy is focusing on further developing its fixed-line services, rather than trying to tap the mobile segment of the market.
Poland's telecom and post watchdog, URTiP, recently announ-ced plans to offer another GSM and UMTS license to the public. On top of that, the regulator has to date already awarded 13 firms licenses to become mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), which theoretically allows them to provide mobile services via wholesale agreements with existing operators.
Yet to date, no substantive progress has been made to open doors to a fourth competitor - whether real or through the MVNO business plan.
Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa, Polkomtel and Centertel still reign supreme.
Anna Hess, analyst at CDM Pekao, says the potential for new GSM license holders has been in the pipeline for over a year.
But the suggestion that competitors would be able to move successfully into the market has been treated with levity.
"There was just laughter," Hess says, noting that few analysts expected anything to emerge.
The costs are prohibitive as companies, such as state-owned Telekomunikacja Kolejowa, will attest to (see story, p. 10). Once a company has purchased a license - however cheaply - the cost of setting up a competitive mobile infrastructure reaches billions of złotys.
Pekao's Hess cites as an example mobile carrier Centertel, which began building its infrastructure later than its two peer operators.
"Centertel went through a lot of trouble to catch up," she notes.
The other scenarios analysts entertain include an international operator entering the market or the existing competition-sensitive GSM operators simply buying the license themselves to prevent the emergence of any new rival.
Thus far one of the only companies that has raised its hand in interest is Sferia. The company provides fixed-line services using CDMA mobile technology and in planning national expansion it is considering applying for a third-generation license. But nothing is concrete yet.
In the same vein, there has been scant progress in opening up the market to MVNOs - a business strategy that has performed well in Western Europe. Virgin Mobile, for instance, has carved out a market niche in the UK.
No so for Poland, as Tele2, Teleplus, SM Media and Onet.pl, among others, all hold MVNO licenses. But the trio of mobile operators has offered little headway into setting up wholesale agreements.
A spokesman for Tele2 has said that the Sweden-based operator's key strategy is focusing on further developing its fixed-line services, rather than trying to tap the mobile segment of the market.
