6 foreign firms submit bids for 3G system

KABUL): Six international telecommunication companies have so far submitted bids for providing 3G technology for faster Internet services on mobile phones, an official said on Sunday.

The bidding would continue till November 15, with more foreign companies to joint process, the acting minister of communications and information technology told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Amirzai Sangin said bids from the companies would be accepted after evaluation and the 3G technology would start working in major provinces in the next six months.

The 3rd generation is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services, fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunication-2000 (IMT-2000) specifications by the International Telecommunication Union.

Application services include wide-area wireless voice telephone, mobile Internet access, video calls and mobile TV, all in a mobile environment.

About $1.7 million (80.5 million afs) has so far been invested in the telecommunications sector, according to Sangin, who expected as much investment with the introduction of the 3G system.

frm/mud