OXFORD, United Kingdom—By the end of February, regulations covering mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) should be approved by the Spanish Minister of Science and Technology. The ministry, which first opened discussion on MVNOs more than 16 months ago, said the final details are being worked on and would be completed within days rather then weeks.
The government is thought to be keen to introduce MVNOs to increase competition in the Spanish mobile market, given that the market grew by more than 22 percent last year to a total of 30 million users.
If this was not enough bad news for the four existing mobile operators, the telecom minister informed them they must launch third-generation (3G) services by 1 June or risk a fine. The government originally set August 2001 as the launch date for 3G services, but the minister has now conceded that the date was a mistake because the country is not equipped to handle the technology.
The four operators have responded to this threat by claiming they are fully prepared to deploy 3G services to 23 Spanish cities by 1 June, despite warnings from handset manufacturers that terminals will be in short supply. However, any 3G deployment is expected to be no more than a limited “commercial trial.”
