Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani cellular operator Azercell has been granted frequencies to deploy 3G telecommunication services in Azerbaijan, the state radio frequency administration said Monday.

Following the decision, passed by the State Commission on Radio Frequencies, the operator was provided with 1,900-2,100 MHz frequencies.

The frequency resources are the first step in obtaining a license to deploy the 3G standard, Ulviyya Hasanzadeh, the head of Azercell’s Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility Unit, told the Baku-based Trend news agency on Monday.

Hasanzadeh said the company expects to obtain a license to deploy a 3G network in the nearest future.

"As soon as we get the license, we will be able to rapidly provide Baku, the Absheron Peninsula [which encompasses the city’s surrounding regions], and other Azerbaijani regions with a 3G network," she said.

Azercell earlier applied to the communications ministry and submitted all necessary documents to obtain a license.

The official license fee is 11,000 manats ($14,100).

At present, only Azerfon company has the license to provide 3G telecommunication services. As for Bakcell, another cellular operator operating in the domestic market, it has not yet received a license.

The operators that were granted the license will have to invest hefty funds in infrastructure, as they will be required to upgrade the entire network equipment, switchboards and each base station.

Azercell is Azerbaijan's largest mobile operator with 55 percent market share and is known for applying new technologies and offering a wide range of products and services. Azercell is part of TeliaSonera, Europe's fifth largest telecommunication company. The company, with network coverage of 80 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, has over 4.2 million customers in the country of 9 million.