A Hungarian court yesterday annulled the results of a tender for the country’s fourth mobile licence to MPVI Mobil, a consortium of state-owned companies Magyar Posta, Hungarian Electricity Works (MVM) and Hungarian Development Bank (MFB). The concession was originally awarded in January this year, but the court’s decision means the whole process must now be repeated, local daily Nepszabadsag reports.
Under the ruling of the Budapest Metropolitan Court, the results of the January auction were voided, including the granting of extra frequency capacities to the three other incumbent mobile operators – T-Mobile, Vodafone and Pannon (backed by Telenor). ‘Based on existing regulations at the time of the tender, state-owned companies couldn’t have taken part as bidders in the tender,’ said ruling judge Gyorgy Mohay. ‘We have discovered serious procedural law infringements,’ he added. The ruling is binding and cannot be appealed, he added.