New deadline set on the launch of fourth mobile operator

TIRANA, August 17 – The Electronic and Postal Communications Authority has set September 4 2010 as the final deadline for the fourth mobile operator, Plus, to launch operations.
PLUS was expected to enter the Albanian market on July 8 but its launch was delayed because of interconnection disputes with the existing mobile operators and fixed-line Albtelecom.
The company had announced that it would launch its operations in several phases starting with the Tirane-Durres-Rinas Airport area and later expanding in main cities.
The company’s shareholders have planned to invest 100 million euros during the first two years. PLUS has currently finished the contracting process for 100 base stations and is currently building 50 other stations.
The fourth mobile operator PLUS (Mobile 4 AL Sha), a consortium led by Kosovo Post-Telecom company (PTK), was founded in June 2009 and awarded the fourth GSM licence in an international tender in January 2009 for 7.2 million euros.
The fourth operator will compete with Albanian Mobile Communication (AMC), Vodafone Albania and Eagle Mobile. The three companies are estimated to cover around three million customers in a country with a population of 3.3 million.
According to the head of the Electronic and Postal Communications Authority Pirro Xhixho, the launch of the fourth mobile operator this month will increase competition offering cheaper prices and bring new advanced technology services.
The Telecommunications Authority said in its latest report that the number of mobile users in Albania has doubled during the past two years after the launch of the third mobile operator, Eagle Mobile. The air time has also doubled.
The Authority says Albanian consumers saved 30 million euros from the reduction of mobile phone tariffs in 2009.