By Mark Graham, 19 June 2001 14:32
NEWS BT and One2One are continuing their bid in the Court of Appeal against the government, claiming they lost £80m after being forced to pay for last year's 3G licences earlier than Orange and Vodafone.
Having lost the case in the High Court last year, the two companies renewed their fight yesterday claiming the money was lost because Stephen Byers, the then trade and industry secretary demanded they pay in May while allowing Vodafone and Orange to pay in September.
According to the auction rules Vodafone had to split from Orange following Vodafone's takeover of German group Mannesmann, which at the time included Orange, because no single operator was allowed more than one licence.
One2One and BT subsidiary BT3G argued to the Court of Appeal that they lost the £80m because of the extra time their competitors were given to pay and subsequently benefited as a result by earning millions of pounds worth of interest over the 16-week period.
The appeal hearing will conclude on Friday.
For related news, see
Go-it-alone Vodafone could sue 3G rivals over network pacts
http://www.silicon.com/a45021
One2One customer base falls dramatically
http://www.silicon.com/a43713
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