Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SKIP PAUL who wrote (22048)	1/27/1999 8:10:00 PM
From: SKIP PAUL	Respond to of 152472

From the Times -UK Hold-ups hit mobile phone licence auction BY CHRIS AYRES THE Government's £1 billion-plus auction of the next generation of mobile phone licences is poised to suffer serious delays following recent turmoil at the Department of Trade and Industry. Next generation phone licences will replace the current GSM technological standard with UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications Standard). This will allow, among other things, mobile phones to access the Internet at high speeds. The resignation of Peter Mandelson as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and the resulting reshuffle, which saw Barbara Roche move to the Treasury, have both helped to delay the highly complex auction. It is now likely that several media companies will attempt to enter the market for mobile phones, including Reuters, the financial information provider, Carlton, the television group, and Lord Hollick's United News & Media, owner of The Express. Industry executives now say they will be surprised if the auction takes place this year. They claim that the DTI missed an informal deadline of December for the publication of guidelines to the auction. The revised deadline of early February now also looks likely to be missed. As part of the guidelines, the Government will indicate how many licences are to be auctioned, and how much they will cost. Although estimates vary, it is expected that there will be three to five licences, costing up to £500 million each. BT is also likely to be told whether it can apply for licences alone, or whether it will have to bid through Cellnet, its partly owned mobile phone subsidiary. If BT is allowed to bid alone, it is likely to launch an offer for the 40 per cent stake in Cellnet currently owned by Securicor. BT's previous bid for Securicor's stake in Cellnet was barred by the DTI over fears that there was not enough competition in the market. The DTI said yesterday that a deadline for the publication of guidelines to the auction had "never been set in stone". However, it added: "The timetable isn't as tight as we had hoped, but we hope to make an announcement soon."