BIEL, Switzerland-Ten companies submitted applications to bid for four third-generation licenses in Switzerland in November. Switzerland’s Federal Office of Communications will decide by the end of August which of the applicants can participate in the auction.
The regulator said a candidate must prove that granting it a license will not adversely affect competition, and that it will complete its project according to financial, economic and technical terms. Applicants also must comply with licensing regulations and conditions relating to the coordination and joint use of locations.
The companies vying for a license include Switzerland’s incumbent wireless operators-diAx AG, Orange Communications and Swisscom AG. Sunrise Communications, a Swiss reseller of wireless service, also submitted an application.
Potential new entrants include Cablecom, a subsidiary of NTL; Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa; Team 3G, a consortium consisting of Spain’s Telefonica, Finland’s Sonera and Australia’s One.Tel; Teldotcom AG; Telenor of Norway; and Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile subsidiary.
In addition to the 3G licenses, OFCOM plans to auction three Global System for Mobile communications 900 MHz licenses in October. Five companies-diAx, One.Tel, Orange, Swisscom and Telenor-have applied to bid for these frequencies.
OFCOM recently completed an Internet auction of wireless local loop licenses.
