Kuwait paves the way for a fourth telco to enter its 5G mobile market

The Kuwaiti government has announced that it will grant a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to a new operator, as the country looks to open up its mobile telecoms market to a fourth player.

According to a report by Reuters, Kuwait's Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority has called for applications to launch a fourth virtual mobile network in a market of around 4 million subscribers.

Applications must be made before the 14^th November 2019 deadline, with the winning application set to be announced on the 6^th February 2020.

The new telco will have to sign up to a 5-year management agreement and will need to be at least 60 per cent Kuwaiti owned. The company's existing telcos are barred from applying for the licence.

Zain, Ooredoo and Viva (a subsidiary of The Saudi Telecoms Company) all launched commercial 5G services in Kuwait in June this year.

The Middle East remains one of the world's first adopter regions for next generation mobile networks, with the GSMA saying that the region could be poised to lead on 5G for years to come.

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