The 4th generation frequencies tender will take place in mid-January, sources inform "Globes." The final date is expected to be set in the coming days, but it is clear that the tender will not take place in 2014, as planned by the Ministry of Communications. The postponement is due to delays caused in recent months by HOT Mobile Ltd., which did not report a change in ownership at the group level, and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR), which became entangled in a procedural imbroglio as a result of historical cross-ownerships.
A postponement of several weeks is considered reasonable, given the missteps and problems that have emerged, especially the question of ownership of HOT Mobile. The Ministry of Communications fears that approval of the group's revised ownership will involve a much more significant delay, and therefore accepted a postponement of the tender by several weeks with understanding.
The Ministry of Communications is in the final stages of approving the candidacies of all the bidders, namely the veteran mobile operators, plus HOT Mobile and 018 Xphone.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 24, 2014
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