ANKARA, Turkey-Italy’s Telecom Italia SpA and a leading Turkish bank, Turkiye Is Bankasi AS, won a license to operate Turkey’s third mobile telephone network with a bid of more than $2.5 billion.
Turkey’s current 7 million wireless customers are split between Turkcell, a partnership between Turkey’s Cukurova group and Finland’s Sonera, and Telsim, owned by Rumeli Holding with backing from Motorola Inc.
Those beat out in the auction, including Spain’s Telefonica, France Telecom and U.S.-based SBC Communications Inc., are expected to be invited to an auction for a fourth operating license.
