The announcement followed the presentation, by the committee appointed within the scope of the call for tenders, of the classifications of the bidders and of the proposed attribution of the licences, which were approved by the minister.
The four licences put out to tender were therefore granted to the following:
- TELECEL - Comunicações Pessoais, SA
- TMN - Telecomunicações Móveis Nacionais, SA
- ONI WAY - Infocomunicações, SA
- OPTIMUS - Telecomunicações, SA
- The ICP will issue the licences now granted as soon as the procedures envisaged in the Tender Regulations (Administrative Rule no. 532-A/2000, of July 31) have been complied with.
List of Bidders:
The following submitted bids in response to the call for tenders:
LEADCOM - Telecomunicações Móveis, SA Shareholders:
- Vivendi Telecom International
- Finantel, SGPS, SA
- Cofina SGPS, SA
- Pararede - SGPS, SA
- Banco de Investimento Global, SA
MOBI JAZZ - Serviços de Telecomunicações, SA Shareholders:
- Jazztel Portugal
- Serviços de Telecomunicações, SA
- Sonera Corporation
- Engil - Sociedade Gestora de Participações Sociais,SA
- Central - Banco de Investimentos, SA
- JP Morgan Capital Corporation
ONI WAY - Infocomunicações, SA Shareholders:
- Operadora nacional de Interactivos, SGPS, SA
- Telenor Mobile Communications AS
- Iberdrola, SA
- Brisatel - Telecomunicações, SA
- Impresa - Sociedade Gestora de Participações Sociais, SA
- Computech - Desenvolvimento e Comercialização de Sistemas de Comunicação,SA
- Jerónimo Martins, SGPS, SA
- Grapes Communications NV
- Efacec Capital, SGPS, SA
OPTIMUS - Telecomunicações, SA
TELECEL - Comunicações Pessoais, SA
TMN - Telecomunicações Móveis Nacionais, SA
TITANCON - Telecomunicações Móveis, SA Shareholders:
- Maxistar - Comunicações Pessoais, SA
- Dr. Gonçalo Manuel Bourbon Sequeira Braga
- Comendador José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo
- Dr. António Correia
- Eng. Jesus Dominguez Rocha
The Background
The international mobile telecommunications system (IMT2000/UMTS) constitutes the third mobile phone generation, allowing the provision of innovative multimedia services that go beyond the capacity of second-generation systems such as GSM. It may in the future ally the use of satellite and terrestrial components to be able to provide global coverage.
From a technological standpoint it is a digital system using the technically innovative CMDA (Code Division Multiple Access) method of access that optimises the available spectrum.
These systems have extended the possibilities of the existing ones, providing increased capacity, faster transmission rates and a wider range of services. The more outstanding functions result from this greater capacity (between 384 Kbit/s and 2Mbit/s, compared to the 115 Kbit/s provided by GPRS and the 14.4 Kbit/s by the GSM). This will allow the provision of services that go far beyond voice transmission, such as multimedia applications involving video transmission and the ability to provide mobile access to the Internet.
The services that may come to be provided include commercial transactions (bank transactions), ticket purchases, the purchase of goods or services; information broadcasting; leisure services (interactive games, for example); and, naturally, communication services such as voice, SMS, e-mail, chat lines or video-telephone.
The first generation mobile phones (analogic technology) began to be used in Portugal in 1989 through an operator set up by CTT (the Post Office) and TLP (the Telephone Company). This technology only provided voice communication and the size of the terminals constituted an obstacle. Digital technology (GSM) appeared in 1992, allowing data transmission for the first time, though at a very slow rate.
