Ben Hamadi: “Adoption of third generation license is still subject to the ''purchase of Djezzy”

Minister of Post, information and communication technologies Mousa Ben Hamadi said on Wednesday, that the purpose of the bill, which defines the rules applicable to the activities of postal and telecommunications, is limiting the powers of the authority of control, adding that the new text aims to strengthen the powers of this body, which has become also expensive using the technology of information and communications.

The minister said on the sidelines of presenting the bill for the deputies to the National People’s Assembly, that the text of the project has not been amended or reduce the powers of the control authority, on the contrary, it strengthenied its tasks, by making it ensure also the technologies of information and communication, after its task was telecommunications only, as the project identified the relationship of this power with the ministry, as well as dealers.

The minister denied that his purpose is monitoring the work of this body, knowing that the director of the controling authority expressed reservations about the new law, while the content of the project provides for ending the monopoly in the postal sector, and open up the market to competition for attracting investment, with the separation between the areas of the sector, post and telecommunications.

Mousa Ben Hamadi linked the delayed launch of the third generation of the mobile phone to the lack of decision in the file of Djezzy, as the sate intends to Algerian buy 51 % of the company’s shares, saying that the same talk was announced in 2011, and still insists on this, explaining that the decision to postpone the delivery of this license comes to the state only, recognizing that the delay in this area has caused significant losses worth billions of dollars.

It is a complex file, which end was expected not take more than a year, but unfortunatly it took a lot of time,” and in response to the mobile phone operators which refuse to connect granting the third generation licence with the file of Djezzy, they see that, but in the end it is up to the state to decide.”