New player to be given a head start in latest GSM tender?

A key part of the statement declared that the Office will seek to use the opportunity to introduce a new player to the market and that preferential treatment will be granted to new players bidding in the tender. However, the specific terms still have to be consulted with the Competition and Consumer Protection Office (UOKiK) to ensure that the clause on preferential treatment is not unconstitutional. Even if a new player wins access to the Polish mobile telecom market, which features some of the highest fees among OECD countries, it will take a long time before he can actually start offering services. The tender winner will be announced in May 2005, but in order to offer connections, the new player, should one win the tender, will need to use the networks of existing operators until he is able to build his own infrastructure which will take until around the end of 2005 to do. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) T.J.