Mobile-phone operators to fight high price-tag for licenses

Mobile-phone operators PTC and Polkomtel have announced they are planning to take action to prevent the government charging unrealistically high fees for third-generation mobile-phone licenses, using the new universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). Both operators say too high a price tag for a license would lead to high fees for consumers and would slow the pace of growth in Poland's telecoms market. In addition to the license fee, both companies say they would have to invest $2 billion each to develop the UMTS-network. Poland and other European countries have been encouraged by the $34.03 billion paid by five operators for British UMTS-licenses this year. Analysts say the Polish market cannot be compared to the British one, where mobile-phone usage is three-times greater and GDP per capita is seven-times higher. (Reuters) A.D.