HTCC and Tele2 battle it out for 3G licence

As the sale of Hungary’s fourth 3G licence looms, two newcomers to the mobile sector – domestic fixed line telco Hungarian Telephone and Telegraph Corp (HTCC) and Sweden’s Tele2 – have gone head-to-head in bidding for the concession. The licence has been reserved for an operator that does not already have a GSM licence in the country, with the first three having already been awarded to existing cellcos T-Mobile, Vodafone and Pannon GSM. The winner will be announced in December and will be required to pay HUF5.5 billion (EUR22.3 million) upfront and commit to building a network rather than becoming an MVNO.