Malta awards third 3G licence

Malta’s telecoms regulator, the MCA, has announced that it has awarded a 3G licence to 3G Telecommunications, concluding a process of issuing three UMTS concessions which it began in 2005. Vodafone, Go Mobile and 3G Telecommunications each submitted an application to obtain one of the three available W-CDMA frequency bands, and although there was no competitive auction, each applicant was subject to a due diligence process. In the cases of Vodafone and Go Mobile, the procedure was completed in August 2005, whereupon the pair were assigned their 3G spectrum. Due diligence for 3G Telecommunications has now also been satisfactorily concluded, the regulator reported, and the new licensee has five years to complete the rollout of network providing complete national coverage.