Tender announced on new 3G authorizations

TIRANA, July 31 – Albania’s Electronic and Postal Communications Authority has announced a new tender on the granting of the last four frequency bands for the use of 3G service offering faster mobile internet access ahead of the shift to 4G LTE technology next year.
In a tender scheduled for September 15, AKEP announces it will grant four licences “on the rights to use frequencies in the band 1965-1980 MHz paired with 2155-2170 MHz and 5MHz unpaired spectrum 1915-1920 MHz.”
AKEP has set a price tag of Euro 1,485,000 for the three 2×5 MHz paired spectrum authorizations and Euro 110,000 for the unpaired 5 MHz spectrum.
Plus Communication, which is the smallest and only Albanian-owned operator, has been continuously concerned over delayed procedures by the electronic communications regulator in the award of the fourth 3G licence as the only operator without the 3G service.
Vodafone Albania won the first 15-year licence after offering 31.4 million euros in November 2010. The second licence was awarded to AMC in October 2011 for 15.1 million euros and the third 3G licence awarded in late 2012 went to Turkey’s Eagle Mobile for Euro 4 million.