Thirteen companies enter 3G licence race

NEWS The Department of Trade and Industry has confirmed that 13 companies entered the bidding process for third-generation (3G) UMTS licences in the UK. Five licences for the 3G spectrum that enables multimedia, high-speed data services will be auctioned in March. The starting prices for the licences total £500m with the most expensive licence, a minimum of £125m, being reserved for a new entrant to the mobile market. The four incumbent mobile operators have applied to bid, along with nine potential new entrants. Applications were submitted by: 3G (UK), a subsidiary of Irish Eircom; Crescent Wireless; Epsilon Tele.com, a subsidiary of Japanese finance house Nomura; NTL Mobile; One.Tel Global Wireless; SpectrumCo, a consortium formed by the Virgin group; Telefonica; TW UMTS (UK), a US telecoms subsidiary; and WorldCom Wireless. Each company has submitted a £50m deposit, and the government will confirm in February how many of the 13 qualify to proceed to the auction process.