MADRID, Spain-The Spanish government said it will tender two additional GSM licenses by 2002, according to international press reports. The country’s four Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) license winners are upset with the announcment, and Telefonica plans to ask the government for compensation, the reports said.
Spain awarded its UMTS licenses through a beauty contest rather than an auction, bringing in about US$431 million, much less than the billions of dollars raised in European countries where auctions were held.
