Vodafone bags Qatar fixed-line licence

LICENCE AWARDED: A consortium including Vodafone has been awarded Qatar's second fixed-line licence. (Getty Images)

A consortium including Britain's Vodafone Group won Qatar's second fixed-line telephone licence, the regulator said on Monday, ending the monopoly of Qatar Telecommunications Co. (Qtel).

Qatar's telecom regulator said in December the licence would be sold for a fixed fee of 10 million riyals ($2.8 million) and the winner would be chosen in April.

Vodafone's group also won the country's second mobile licence in December with the same partner, Qatar Foundation.

Its consortium was among three that remained in the contest for the licence to end the fixed-line monopoly of Qtel, the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology said.

The winner of the second fixed-line licences is due to launch services in 2009, the regulator said.

The Gulf state, holder of the world's third-biggest reserves of natural gas, is home to 1.4 million people and is the richest Arab country per capita.

The mobile joint venture, in which Vodafone owns 51 percent while the rest belongs to Qatar Foundation, is set to sell 40 percent of its shares to the public before the end of the year. (Reuters)

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