The pressure Italian license holders have put on the Italian government to lengthen the term of their 3G licenses, from 15 years to 20, looks set to pay dividends, according to the Communications Minister, Maurizio Gasparri. Mr Gasparri said that the government is investigating whether the law will allow for an extension to the licenses.
Many mobile operators are suffering from the cost of 3G licenses. Lengthening the term gives them more opportunity to recoup their investment. France has already lengthened its licenses, from 15 to 20 years. The German regulatory body however, has refused to make similar concessions as its licenses already run for 20 years.
However, Sir Christopher Gent, Vodafone’s CEO, believes the UK government, who also issued 20 year licenses, should consider granting an extension to help the industry recover from the GBP22.5 billion it spent on licenses.
