Tess group wins key Brazil cellphone ruling -court
Reuters, Wednesday, March 25, 1998 at 13:58
BRASILIA, March 25 (Reuters) - A Brazilian high court on
Wednesday ruled in favor of an appeal by a group with Sweden's
Telia, upholding its winning bid for a coveted mobile phone
concession in Sao Paulo state, a court spokeswoman said.
"The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) ruled 6-1 in favor of
the Tess group's appeal," said a spokeswoman for the STJ.
The ruling clears the way for the government to proceed
with its privatization of Brazil's promising cellular sector
which has been on hold since September pending the case's
outcome.
The government was not expected to appeal the court's
decision, but move as quickly as possible to complete the
granting of licenses to operate cellular services on Brazil's B
Band frequency.
Tess, which includes Telia as operating partner, last year
placed the highest bid -- 1.326 billion reais ($1.2 billion) --
for a license for B Band concession area No. 2 covering
non-metropolitan Sao Paulo state.
But the government disqualified its proposal on
technicalities, such as misplaced periods and the use of a
non-official translator.
Sources said Tess and the government may sign the area 2
contract later today.
james.craig@reuters.com))
Copyright 1998, Reuters News Service |
