Disdaining to show its hand before its bid was in with the Department of Trade & Industry, Hanson Plc disclosed at the end of last week that it was heading a powerful consortium pitching for a franchise to build and operate one of the planned two or three UK Personal Communications Networks. Ferranti International Signal Plc has joined the Hanson consortium in the hope that it will be able thereby to neutralise the competitive threat to its Zonephone Telepoint service from the new generation system. Also in the consortium is the Hutchison Telecommunications subsidiary of Hong Kong’s Hutchison Whampoa Ltd, which operates cellular telephone services in the Crown Colony. The GTE Mobile Communications cellular arm of GTE Corp is in the team, which is completed by Jonathan Clark & Associates, Clark being the telecommunications consultant that founded London Car Telephones. The group plans to announce a continental partner shortly, and only then will relative shareholdings in the consortium be decided. Chairman of the cosnortium is former Information Technology Minister the Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Pattie. While the GEC consortium is the front-runner if only two licences are awarded, the Hanson consortium must be close behind the STC Plc and British Aerospace Plc consortia in the betting.
