Plus mobile operator on track to get fourth 3G licence

TIRANA, Sept. 17 – Plus Communication, the smallest and only Albanian-owned mobile operation, is finally set to be granted the 3G licence after submitted the highest bid in a tender organized by the Electronic and Postal Communication Authority, AKEP.
In a tender held this week, Plus offered 2.97 million euros on two of the four frequency bands for the use of the 3G service offering faster mobile internet access ahead of the shift to 4G LTE technology next year, being the highest bidder.
Vodafone Albania, part of the UK-based Vodafone Group, offered euro 1.552 million euros on the third frequency band while AMC, now part of the part of Deutsche Telekom Group, bid Euro 1.55 million.
Based on bids submitted, AKEP is expected to announce Plus Communication and Vodafone Albania as the winners of the remaining 3G frequency bands.
Currently, three out of four mobile companies operating in Albania, offer the 3G service enabling faster mobile internet access. Vodafone Albania won the first 15-year licence after offering 31.4 million euros in November 2010. The second licence was awarded to AMC, now part of Deutsche Telekom, in October 2011 for 15.1 million euros and the third 3G licence in late 2012 went to Turkey’s Eagle Mobile for Euro 4 million.
The number of mobile subscribers with 3G access almost doubled to 1.2 million in 2013 after a third operator made the service available.
Albania’s Electronic and Postal Communications Authority says it has finalized a public consultation that will pave the way to the launch of the fourth generation of mobile service known as 4G LTE coverage. Under a decision made last August, the electronic communications authority, AKEP, says it will award licences on 1800 MHz frequency band for the GSM/LTE/UMTS/WiMAX, enabling the launch of the 4G technology.