New mobile service provider to start service by year-end

Thimphu, March 16: Tashi Group, a commercial croup which won an auction for the second national cellular licence last year, is planning the formal award of its concession later this month.

Tashi says it is forming a new division – Tashi Infocomm Ltd – to handle its cellular activities, with 25 percent of the new arm being floated publicly.

Tashi is seeking finance from a consortium of banks to fund its network rollout. In the short term it is hoping to sign a roaming agreement with current monopolist, B-Mobile, a subsidiary of wireline operator Bhutan Telecom.

Tashi would launch its first services by this years end but does not intend to compete with B-Mobile. Bhutan News Service