PrimeTel secures licence for 4G network

PRIMETEL has successfully managed to secure the licence for a third mobile network in Cyprus and is evolving from Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) to Mobile Network Operator (MNO). This development has enabled the creation of a fourth generation network (4G) and the availability of new services at lower prices. 

The company will directly proceed to the design and development of a fourth generation network, offering Cypriot consumers the 4G experience.

“The acquisition of the third mobile licence has been a milestone for our company. We fully recognise that the future of broadband is mobile and as such we will proceed with this investment,” PrimeTel CEO Hermes Stephanou said. “Our company is committed to delivering next generation Services with speeds exceeding 30 mbps for mobile devices.”
In telecommunication systems, 4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone mobile communication technology standards. It is a successor to the third generation (3G) standards. A 4G system provides mobile ultra-broadband internet access, for example to laptops with USB wireless modems, to smartphones, and to other mobile devices. Conceivable applications include amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television, and cloud computing.

PrimeTel currently operates a national network for fixed broadband services, with fixed voice, internet, television and wifi. The company also operates an international submarine fibre optic landing station connecting Cyprus through a global network to the rest of the world.
“We aim to develop a full next generation 4G network from the start allowing for broadband mobile services. A network that can support services cost effectively and efficiently,” Stephanou said.

The interest period for the third mobile licence closed on September 24, after an extension from the initial deadline of July 24.
Areeba, later taken over and renamed MTN Cyprus, was the final bidder for the first commercial licence in 2005, upping the stake to 22 mln euros and knocking out Greek bidder OTE from the race. State telecoms company CyTA had matched the 22 mln euro price at the time.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.