Reuters | January 7, 2011 | Alex Leff
Jan 7 (Reuters) – Costa Rica’s telecoms regulator on Friday awarded licenses to Spain’s Telefonica and Mexico‘s America Movil to become the first private firms to provide mobile service in the country’s relatively undeveloped wireless market.
Telefonica put its highest bid at $95 million, over America Movil’s $77 million, for the best of three licenses open for bidding, said the regulator Sutel.
Sutel recommended that the Mexican firm, controlled by billionaire Carlos Slim, win a separate license for $75 million.
The third concession remains open and could call for a new auction, said Sutel president George Miley.
The awards, if approved by President Laura Chinchilla, could be granted in two weeks and the new private service could begin in September, he said.
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