Taliya News - The auction of offering cell services of the third operator in Iran will be held next year, the Communication deputy said.

Mahmoud Khosravi said: "The research and development center, which is the consultant of the third operator, is preparing the preliminaries of the auction."

Communication minister, Mr. Mohammad Soleimani, had said before that some of the foreign companies, especially Arabian ones, had requested to take part in the auction, among which Aletesalat and a Bahraini company had desired more.

He had said that some of the Arabian companies had requested verbally to participate in the auction, which would be held after two-year operation of the second operator. Iranian companies would get 51 percent of shares according to the law; foreign companies would get the other shares.

There are 20 million cell phone consumers in Iran now.

... Payvand News - 8/2/07 ... --