Algeria has launched plans to open its mobile phone industry to international competition, inviting potential investors to apply for a GSM license that would offer 500,000 connections.
Algerian authorities were quoted by BBC.Online as saying that “opening the market to competition will help drive down prices for consumers hungry to catch up with the mobile phone revolution.”
They predict competition will help lift the number of Algeria's mobile phone subscribers to about 2 million in 2002 from about 100,000 now, it added.
At present, mobile phone services are only available through the national telecoms monopoly – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
