The launch of the fourth, state owned mobile firm in Hungary will likely be postponed following an appeal by one or more of the contestants at a frequency tender, business daily Vilaggazdasag reported Monday.

The national authority closed the mobile spectrum tender Jan. 31, where it announced it would sell frequency blocks to the three existing mobile firms and also to a newcomer, a state consortium.

Mobile phone companies that currently operate in Hungary--Norway's Telenor ASA (TEL.OS), the U.K.'s Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) and Magyar Telekom Nyrt. (MTELEKOM.BU), owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE.XE)--were awarded parts of the frequency band on offer in the less valuable B block, best suited for Internet services in rural areas.

The state consortium, led by power firm MVM Zrt. was declared the winner in the A block, which covers a frequency range suitable for both Internet and voice services.

The state firm will only be able to start building its network in April at the earliest, instead of February, Vilaggazdasag said, due to the appeal. The company nevertheless must have its own network in Budapest by the end of the year. The daily didn't reveal which part of the decision the bidders contested.

   Newspaper website: www.vilaggazdasag.hu

-Budapest Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; +361-267-0623

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