MANAMA: Six companies are planning to bid for a third mobile network operator (MNO) in Bahrain.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has received a total of seven responses to its request for expressions of interest in the award process of the licence for the third MNO.

The responses received cover different aspects of the award process of the third mobile licence, such as preferred spectrum bands, amount of spectrum required, and any additional measures, such as infrastructure sharing, national roaming, any exclusivity period required and the preferred licence award mechanism, which are considered to be essential for the entry of a third MNO.

The information gained from the responses will help TRA in the development of the tender documents and supporting information memorandum.

TRA also intends to appoint a consultancy company to assist in the design of the award process of the third mobile licence.

"Looking at the responses, we are greatly encouraged by the level of international interest that has been shown in the Bahraini telecommunications market," said TRA general director Alan Horne.

"The number of responses received does not necessarily reflect the full amount of interest in the third mobile licence in Bahrain, as some companies may prefer to submit their bids without expressing any interest at this time."

TRA market and competition director Robert Middlehurst said we would like to thank all local and international operators for expressing their interest and for their valuable input that will help us formulate an efficient and transparent process for the award of the third mobile licence.