New GSM operator enters mobile telephony market of Moldova

The Government decided on Wednesday, September 4, to offer third mobile telephony provider license, in GSM standard. In order to carry out this decision, the National Agency for Regulation in Telecommunications (ANRTI) will announce an international contest. The operator which will win the contest will have to pay a license issuance tax of USD 8 mln. The beneficiary will pay to the account of the Ministry of Finance the equivalent in national currency of USD 4 mln within 30 days from the date ANRTI adopts the decision on offering the license. The rest of the sum will be paid during the next 2 years. At the same time, the Ministry of Informational Development will allocate to the beneficiary of the third license an initial set of 22 channels on the frequencies 880 – 915 MHz and 925-960 MHz. According to the minister Vladimir Molojen, offering the third license aims at developing the market of electronic communications, attracting investments in the field, increasing concurrence on this segment and efficiently using resources of the available frequencies sector. “The experts talk about some reserves on this segment, thus the third operator will equilibrate the market and will determine operators to adjust their prices”, Molojen said. According to the minister, the price of the license, payment conditions, as well as the number of channels are similar to those offered to the first two mobile telephony operators – Voxtel and Moldcell.