The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain (TRA) has published the Invitation to Tender (ITT) document relating to the forthcoming auction of two National Fixed Wireless Services (NFWS) Licences that will use spectrum in the 3.5GHz range.

The two frequency licences to be granted with the NFWS licences authorise use of the following spectrum:
Frequency License I: 3,410MHz – 3,455MHz paired with 3,500MHz -3,545MHz;
Frequency License II: 3,455MHz – 3,500MHz paired with 3,545MHz -3,590MHz

In accordance with the timetable for the auction process, which is set out in the ITT, Tuesday 28 November 2006 is the final date for receipt of bids from interested parties, and Wednesday 13 December 2006 is the date for the announcement of the winners. The full ITT is available on the TRA’s website (www.tra.org.bh) for download and contains all the relevant details of the auction process and guidelines on the preparation of bids and their subsequent evaluation by the TRA. In addition, the ITT contains the forms to be filled in by the bidders, and copies of the NFWS licence and the associated frequency licence to be granted to the successful bidders.

While the ITT is available for download via the TRA’s website, interested bidders who wish to submit questions on the ITT to the TRA are required to register and pay a registration fee of BD 2,000 (approx. US$5,225), which will be offset against the registration fee for the auction. The TRA will only respond in writing to questions from registered bidders, and where it deems it appropriate it may publish anonymised versions of the questions and answers on its website.

The TRA has set the starting price of the auction of each licence at 20,000 BD (approx. US$52,250), taking into account that the prospective licensees will also have to pay annual fees of BD 28,000 (approx. US$73,200) to the Ministry of Transportation for the use of the spectrum.

The NFWS licences are of particular importance to the Bahraini telecommunications market, as they will pave the way for wireless connectivity to customers for voice and data services. This in turn means that the companies which are successful in obtaining the licences will be able to provide services directly to the end customers. The licence entitles the winners to offer local voice telephony, and subject to obtaining the additional relevant licenses, for which there is no limit, they can also provide internet services, international calls, etc. The licensing process creates the potential for the entry of two independent operators for fixed telephony and data in Bahrain.
www.tra.org.bh