REGIONALnews
The sipping contenders drew for the honor of being first to step into an adjacent room to hand over their 200-page bid books, which typically numbered twice that amount when the required annual reports and technical data were counted.
The six are competing for an initial 49% partnership with Cesku Radiokomunikace, which has been awarded a license to compete with Eurotel for GSM digital phone customers. The winner has an option to purchase an additional 30% stake in five years.
As the competitors tried to convince reporters last week that they would bring the most complete, inexpensive and efficient GSM service, few details of the bids emerged from the tight-lipped contenders:
* France Telecom and Telesystem International Wireless bid "over $300 million" for the company stake, not counting the considerably more expensive network investment or the $15 million licensing fee, said André Dumouchel, TIW's project manager for the Czech Republic.
Dumouchel also said the consortium plans to achieve 80% coverage after two years, "significantly" more than the ministry's required 60% after three years.
* The Telecom Finland/RWE Telliance team is sending out the message that it plans an ambitious 93% coverage after two years. One fan rooting for the consortium - and in a position to know - said the team struck a deal with the sprawling electrical distributor CEZ to rent out land for possible base stations and cell sites. CEZ earned a reputation during the last several weeks as the most promiscuous local partner, holding talks with nearly all international operators and forming an equity partnership with no one.
* Telecom Finland and RWE Telliance will also likely benefit from CEZ's considerable lobbying strength. Said one source close to the consortia: "(Prime Minister Vaclav) Klaus's wife sits on the CEZ board. Need I say more?"
The six are competing for an initial 49% partnership with Cesku Radiokomunikace, which has been awarded a license to compete with Eurotel for GSM digital phone customers. The winner has an option to purchase an additional 30% stake in five years.
As the competitors tried to convince reporters last week that they would bring the most complete, inexpensive and efficient GSM service, few details of the bids emerged from the tight-lipped contenders:
* France Telecom and Telesystem International Wireless bid "over $300 million" for the company stake, not counting the considerably more expensive network investment or the $15 million licensing fee, said André Dumouchel, TIW's project manager for the Czech Republic.
Dumouchel also said the consortium plans to achieve 80% coverage after two years, "significantly" more than the ministry's required 60% after three years.
* The Telecom Finland/RWE Telliance team is sending out the message that it plans an ambitious 93% coverage after two years. One fan rooting for the consortium - and in a position to know - said the team struck a deal with the sprawling electrical distributor CEZ to rent out land for possible base stations and cell sites. CEZ earned a reputation during the last several weeks as the most promiscuous local partner, holding talks with nearly all international operators and forming an equity partnership with no one.
* Telecom Finland and RWE Telliance will also likely benefit from CEZ's considerable lobbying strength. Said one source close to the consortia: "(Prime Minister Vaclav) Klaus's wife sits on the CEZ board. Need I say more?"
