3G services launched in Jordan
Orange Jordan has launched 3G services in Jordan, making Jordan the first Arab country in the Middle East to launch 3G services outside the wealthy Gulf states. Jordan has a very developed mobile market for its level of GDP per capita with penetration rates at around 100%.
A single 15-year 3G licence was granted to Orange in August 2009 after negotiations. It has an exclusivity period of one year. The TRC began a tender process on 30 March 2009 to award the licence but the tender failed. One bid was received, from Orange Jordan, but the TRC said that Orange’s bid did not comply with the financial or technical aspects of the tender and rejected the bid. The tender had set a reserve price at JOD50 million, plus annual licence fee payments of approximately JOD2.5 million. Negotiations continued after the failure of the tender process with Zain also submitting an offer.
Orange will be hoping to capitalise on its exclusivity period to bolster its market share, which has declined in the past two years in Jordan’s very competitive mobile market.
For more information see:
Jordan – Telecoms, Mobile & Broadband.
Tagged in: Jordan, The Middle East
