Press Releases

This morning, Telecel delivered its bid for a UMTS licence to the ICP, demonstrating its commitment to winning one of the four available licences to operate third generation mobile services, which should be operational during 2002.

Telecel will invest strongly in UMTS. This third generation technology will bring new possibilities to cellular communications, namely the ability to transmit data at speeds that will allow the implementation of the multimedia concept, through the integration of voice, image and data, allowing a customised access to interactive content and to electronic commerce associated to mobility (m-commerce).

Mr. António Carrapatoso, Chairman and CEO of Telecel said: “Telecel today presented a bid of great quality and ambition demonstrating the value we place on the UMTS technology. We are naturally confident of winning one of the third generation licences available. Our proposal outlines how we will significantly exceed the ICP minimum requirements, namely in terms of coverage. Telecel’s third generation offering will greatly enhance the development of the Information Society and the life quality of Portuguese people. We believe that UMTS will revolutionise the usage of the cellular phone, as we conceive new services utilising this new technology.”

The Portuguese licence process selected by the Government takes the form of a beauty contest. Mr. Carrapatoso commented: “We agree with the chosen model of a beauty contest against auction, as it is the best way to face the high levels of investment and to ensure lower price services. An auction model could compromise these investments, which naturally would have consequences on the quality and accessibility of the services offered.”

Note: UMTS – Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
ICP (Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal) – Portuguese Communications Regulatory Body