Bahrain: Licenses of Telecom Company with links to opposition figure revoked

Bahrain unrest

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The Bahraini Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced the the revocation of all licenses granted to 2Connect W.L.L. The resolution stated that all licenses of 2Connect shall be revoked within one week, which coincides with the 27th of March 2011.

As a result of this revocation, all telecommunications services provided to 2Connect’s customers will be permanently disconnected. TRA’s Director of Information and Communications Technologies Ahmed Aldoseri urged all customers of 2Connect to "expedite the process of procuring replacement services to ensure no interruptions occur to their telecommunications services, especially for business customers”, and reaffirmed that “TRA is ready to provide any and all assistance necessary to such customers to facilitate transition to a different service provider."

TRA’s resolution also includes the revocation of all radio frequency licenses assigned to 2Connect. Although TRA did not provide any explanation for the move, reports said one of 2Connect's founders was arrested last weeks as part of the crackdown on opposition figures. 2Connect was established in 2004 with a capital of US$50 million. Its investors included Bahraini and Saudi businesspersons. It offers voice and data services that include internet and IP based solutions. Until today, it was considered one of the leading companies in Bahrain's telecom market.