The government of Kyrgyzstan has failed to sell a 25% stake in its operator, Kyrgyz Mobile Company. There were no bids before the deadline of the 17th of August.
The starting price was KGS152.5 (US$3.26 million). The sale was to take place as part of an ongoing programme of privatisation in the country.
Kyrgyz Mobile Company was set up by the government last year and has been awarded GSM and WCDMA licences. Kyrgyzstan has eight operators, with only Nexi and the Alfa owned Beeline and Megacom currently offering 3G services.
The reticence on the part of their competitors to snap up the WCDMA may be down to Kyrgyzstan’s low ARPU and high rate of prepaid customers as opposed to postpaid.
