By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The government will make no decision on whether to licence a third mobile operator until 2022 at the earliest, its newly-released electronic communications sector policy has revealed.

The 2020-2023 policy calls on the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), as sector supervisor, to provide a “feasibility and market analysis” to support its recommendations on whether there is sufficient room for a third operator by year-end 2021.

The policy acknowledges that the government will be some two to three years late in deciding whether to introduce more competition into the mobile market, as this decision should have been taken by October 2019 - some three years after Aliv ended the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) 16-year mobile monopoly by becoming its first competitor.

“The Government will further consider the feasibility of additional and expanded entry in cellular mobile services,” the policy document says. “In the previous electronic communications sector policy, the Government promoted the introduction of competition in the mobile sector, a goal realised with the launch of services in 2016 by the second mobile operator.

“In the liberalisation process, the Government delayed the consideration of the third mobile operator for a period of no less than three years after the commercial launch of the second mobile operator - October 2019. The Government will review this issue, in conjunction with URCA, during the life of this electronic communications sector policy to determine an appropriate policy position moving forward.”

The policy document added that the Government will both determine whether the entrance of a third mobile competitor is warranted, “and the manner and form any such liberalisation should take”.

“The Government has asked URCA to provide advice and recommendations, including a feasibility and market analysis, to support any recommendations made,” it said. “The Government has requested that advice to be produced by no later than December 31, 2021, following which the Government will make its decision.

“In the interim, the Government proposes to refrain from introducing further competition in the cellular mobile market.”

Edison Sumner, the former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive, last night said of the end-2021 deadline that “this is not the first time the timeline has been stretched or pushed back” with respect to the possibility of a third Bahamian mobile licence.

Disclosing that he no longer has any interest in the licence, Mr Sumner said the “concern” has always been whether The Bahamas with its 400,000-strong population and estimated 360,000-380,000 mobile subscribers has the critical mass to support a third mobile operator.