A consortium of US West Inc and Matav, the Hungarian Telecommunications Co, and Pannon GSM have been awarded the licences to build and operate a new digital cellular telephone system in Hungary: the US West consortium will operate under the name Westel 900, echoing the partners’ existing Westel Radiotelefon venture, which operates the country’s analogue cellular system; Pannon GSM brings together a group of Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Dutch state telecommunications companies and Hungary’s Mol Rt, Wallis Rt and Videoton Rt; the awards are being disputed by DBFH, one of the losing consortia, consisting of France Telecom SA, British Telecommunications Plc, Deutsche Bundespost Telecom and Antenna Hungaria; a fourth consortium, led by the Vodafone Group Plc, was reported to have offered $25m for one of the two licences on offer.
