Telecom Ministry sells 19 firms UTMS documentation

The Ministry of Telecommunication has sold 19 packages of complete tender documentation for UMTS third generation telecom system licenses. Among the purchasers were 7 domestic companies, including 3 Polish GSM operators, five law firms, Netia together with Telia, 3G, Futuro.com, 7bulls.com, Raiffeisen, Turkish Rumeli with Turktel, Canadian TIW, Telefonica with Sonera and Ferrovial, Telecom Italia Mobile, and bank HSBC acting on behalf of Hutchinson Whampoa. Negotiations between potential tender participants are now underway and concern not only the matter of consortia creation, but also participation in the tender itself,since there are many points about which the potential competitors have serious reservations. These include not only the price, the number of concessions, and the roaming rules, but most significantly, the requirement to submit, along with the offer, a blank check of exchange in the amount of several million euros, a condition difficult to accept. The Telecom Ministry explains this is a form of reassurance in case of any formal mistakes in the submitted offers.(Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 4)