LONDON-As the tender process for Bahrain’s second GSM license draws to a close, three candidates, including MTC Vodafone, Wataniya Bahrain and Kalaam, have been short-listed from the original list of 10 companies. The final decision is expected to be announced 16 April and the license issued 22 April.
Wataniya and MTC Vodafone are both listed Kuwaiti companies looking to expand outside their domestic markets. Both companies are making their bids as part of consortiums.
MTC Vodafone completed a US$424 million acquisition of Fastlink, Jordan’s number-one mobile operator in January, while Wataniya last October paid US$113.5 million for a 50-percent stake in Tunisia’s Tunisiana, which began service 27 December, 2002.
Kalaam, is a newcomer on the scene, and little information about the company is available.
