AL
DE
Prishtina, 8 February 2007 – The Kosovar Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced on Tuesday Kosmocell consortium the winner of the tender for the second mobile phone operator. Kosmocell comprises of two Kosovar companies, Dukagjini and Kujtesa, the American companies OMNI Communication and Computer Size Corporation (CSC) and the Italian companies Eutelia and MB Capital Management. The consortium will be managed by the company Management Capital with headquarters in the USA.
Kosmocell has offered €81 million for the operation license, which will be valid for 15 years and includes the right to using GSM 900 MHz and GSM 1,800 MHz frequencies.
TRA President, Anton Berisha, said Kosmocell will get the operation license once it pays the €81 million to the Kosovo Consolidated Budget.
“The whole tender procedure was correct. The evaluation was conducted by the Kosovar Government, UNMIK Legal Office, KTA, and TRA” said Berisha.
According to TRA, the new provider will use the phone code of Italy until Kosovo is entitled to have its own code.
Remzi Ejupi from Kostel, a company that was disqualified from the tender due to submitting their application after the deadline, said that: “Although we could not participate in the tender, Kostel considers that the tender was transparent and we congratulate Kosmocell on their victory.” According to Ejupi, Kostel had offered €55 million for the license.
Ekrem Lluka, one of the partners of the winning consortium Kosmocell, said that Kosmocell will provide better and more affordable service than the existing provider “Vala”.
This is the second time a second mobile phone operator is being announced in Kosovo. The first time the tender was annulled after interference by the head of UN Mission in Kosovo due to irregularities in the selection of the operator.
ECIKS