Gabon seeks bids for 3G telecoms license

LIBREVILLE, GABON: Gabon is seeking bids from international telecoms companies for a 3G mobile network license, the government said in a release on Monday.

"In the spirit of liberalizing the telecommunications sector, a call for bids has been launched for the provision and operation of a public 3G mobile network..." according to the release, which specified both domestic and international firms were invited to bid by the end of September.

Mobile and Internet service in the central African oil exporter nation is notoriously patchy and the government has been seeking to improve telecommunications as part of a broader effort to diversify investment.

India's Bharti Airtel became one of Gabon's largest mobile phone service providers in June after if bought the African assets of Kuwait's Zain in a deal worth nearly $9 billion.