The Montevideo-based Uruguayan telephone company, Antel says that seven foreign companies have qualified to bid for a stake in the company in its partial privatisation, but that STET SpA of Italy and Telefonica de Espana SA had been rejected – without giving a reason: the firms eligible to bid for 60% of Antel stock are Cable & Wireless Plc, BCE Inc, Bell Atlantic Corp, GTE Corp, Southwestern Bell Telephone Corp, Detecon GmbH and France Telecom; Antel invested over $250m between 1985 and 1990 and 75% of its nationwide system is digital; it has 415,000 lines for a population of 3m, or 18.7 telephones per 100 inhabitants, Reuter reports.
