ROME-Eight groups stepped forward to vie for one of five Italian Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) licenses. The government will announce which bids are accepted by Sept. 2, and business plans and technical details will be due Sept. 11.
The country’s four incumbent operators, Blue, Omnitel Pronto Italia, Telecom Italia Mobile and Wind Telecomunicazion, are participating. Four additional consortia announced their intent to enter the Italian market. They include Andala, backed by Hutchison; Ispe, including Telefonica and Sonera; a consortium including TLC Utilities; and Anthill, a surprise late entrant.
