The Lebanese government has cancelled the tender process for the management of the country’s two mobile networks after the process generated insufficient interest, it emerged this week.
The Ministry of Telecommunications had set a deadline of midday on Tuesday to announce the results of the tender, but the deadline passed with no resolution.
On Wednesday, Lebanon’s Business News reported that the fair competition prerequisite of the process was not met after only two companies – Zain and Orange – submitted bids to manage the operators. It cited an unnamed source.
Lebanon is served by two government-owned mobile opera tors, Touch and Alfa, which are currently being run by Zain and Orascom Telecom Media and Technology (OTMT) respectively. Their management contracts expired two years ago, but have been extended a number of times.
The failure of the tender means that those contracts will likely be extended once again, Business News’ source predicted.
In addition to Zain and eventually OTMT – the latter missed the original applications deadline earlier this year, but was later admitted to the tender process, according to local press reports – Orange, Maxis, Turkcell, Vodafone and a unit of Deutsche Telekom all submitted applications, Lebanon’s Daily Star claimed.
However, all but Zain and Orange fell by the wayside over the past few months.
The Ministry of Telecommunications and the Council of Ministers will now rule on the next steps, Business News’ source said. Zain and OTMT’s concessions will likely be extended for at least three months, he said.
