Bulgaria
Ote Telecom won Bulgaria’s third mobile-phone license for US$135 million, beating out Telecom Italia Mobile through an auction. Ote plans to partner with Bulgarian Telecommunications Co. (BTC), the country’s fixed-line provider, to build out the GSM network.
France
Martin Bouygues, chairman of Bouygues Telecom, called on the European Union (EU) to postpone the third-generation (3G) spectrum award in France. Bouygues has apparently raised concerns about the cost of 3G licenses and growing doubts about the ability of those mobile operators granted a license to recoup their investments. It remains unclear if the EU will take any action on these questions. Three other bidders-France Telecom, SFR and a consortium led by Suez Lyonnaise and Telef
