Albania: Parliament has approved the fourth mobile licence to a Kosovan operator, but with opponents claiming the tender rules had been violated

The Albanian parliament approved award of the country’s fourth mobile phone license to Kosovo Post Telecom (PTK).

Parliament, dominated by the rightist coalition of Prime Minister Sali Berisha, approved the permit for PTK in a consortium with several Albanian companies for 7.2 million euros.

Albanian leftist opposition deputies boycotted the vote, claiming the rules for an international tender had been violated and insisting that the winning company had no experience in telecommunications.

Albania so far has three mobile phone operators - AMC (www.amc.al), Vodafone Albania (www.vodafone.al), and Eagle Mobile (www.eaglemobile.al) - with about 2.5 million clients in a country of 3.3 million.

Parliament ratifies mobile license to Kosovo Telecom in stormy session