Three go for GSM 1800 while Netia linked P4 holds back

"The mission of P4 is to offer third generation services. The tender for GSM 1800 frequencies does not enable us to offer attractive multimedia services, while within a few years this technology will be pushed out by 3G," said Magdalena Sawicka, spokeswoman for P4. Analysts praised the decision of P4. "P4 made a smart decision. It does not need to acquire a GSM license, as the telecom watchdog wants Netia to sign a cooperation contract with one of the existing operators," said Krzysztof Kaczmarczyk from DB Securities. P4 plans to launch a third generation mobile service on 1 July 2006. P4's decision also allows analysts to be more optimistic about the plans of Netia, which will not develop infrastructure, but instead offer modern services. The 1800 GSM tender should be concluded at the beginning of March at the earliest. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 7) M.M.