Telcoms regulator issues new permits for operators, with more in the pipeli ne

Last week the telecom watchdog, the Telecommunication and Post Regulatory O ffice (URTiP), granted eight new permits to render telecom services, while about another dozen applications are awaiting approval. "We may issue permi ts to even as many as a few hundreds operators. We do not check the financi al standing of companies, but rather the opinion of the State Security Offi ce and the Defense Ministry," said Jacek Strzalkowski from the URTiP press office. According to market analysts, the introduction of such new market p layers may not weaken the strong position of TPSA, nor make prices more com petitive. The fee required to register a telecom operator is only euro 2,50 0. The companies that have just received permits include marginal players l ike Premium Internet, PT Centrala or Open Net. None of the companies have r eleased any information about their offers or plans. (Puls Biznesu, p. 6) P .W.