Lebanon Accepts GSM Bids

Seven international companies have submitted bids for the four-year management contracts for Lebanon's two GSM networks, according to the the Lebanese telecommunications ministry.

The offers will be discussed and possibly approved by the Cabinet on Apr 9. The management fees requested by the applicants are significantly lower than the fees that the government pays to the current operators, LibanCell and Cellis. Germany's Detecom, for example, offered management fees that are 30% lower than the current ones. The telecommunications ministry expects that the successful tender will save the government on average $80 million per year.

The companies that submitted bids are Germany's Detecom, France's Orange, Egypt's Orascom Telecom, Kuwait's Mobile Telecommunications Company, Norway's Telenor, Telcom Italia Mobile, and Ireland's Digicel.