At least six companies have purchased the bid documents related to the selection process for the Philippines' third telco.
A representative of the nation's telecoms regulator NTC told local media on Tuesday that Telenor and three local ventures, as well as another company that has asked not to be named, had purchased bid documents for the selection process.
BusinessWorld Online meanwhile reported yesterday that local fixed line operator Philippine Telegraph and Telephone (PT&T) has affirmed its interest in joining the fray by purchasing the documents.
The fixed line operator has evaluated the terms of the bid documents and found them acceptable, and believes it has a strong chance of winning as the only local company that can satisfy the requirements, PT&T's CEO James Velasquez told the publication.
More potential applicants may purchase bid documents in the coming days.
Bidders will have until between November 5 and November 7 to submit their bids for the beauty contest style selection process, and the winning applicant could be announced by as early as the same month.
Any overseas company winning the license will need to partner with at least one local company to comply with the nation's limits on foreign ownership of telecoms operations.