Five local companies will today bid to operate Macau's mobile telephone network as the government moves to open up the telecommunications sector.
The Office for the Development of Telecommunication and Information Technology plans to grant up to three provisional mobile-telephone licences for new entrants.
Applications for the three-year licences are to be judged on business plans, roll-out dates, pricing and services. Successful bidders are expected to be announced before the end of next month. The local companies in the race are New World Telephone, Hutchison Telecom, SmarTone Telecommunications, Sunday Communications and Pacific Century CyberWorks.
At this stage it is unclear which CyberWorks unit - CSL or CyberWorks Telstra - is chasing a licence.
If CSL is in the bidding it would compete against Britain's Cable & Wireless (C&W).
C&W was the majority shareholder of Cable & Wireless HKT before its August 17 merger with CyberWorks and owns 19.1 per cent of the merged entity. C&W has 51 per cent of Macau Telecom, Macau's mobile-telephone monopoly. Citic Pacific owns 20 per cent.
CyberWorks sources said the company would like to participate in Macau and pointed out CSL had offered consulting services to C&W in Macau.
