Ammon News - by Mohammad Ghazal/ Jordan Times

AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday opened five new radio frequencies, including 4th Generation services, to enable faster mobile Internet use.

The new frequencies allow for providing second, third and fourth generation services, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), which floated the tenders on Tuesday.

The TRC said the tenders are for obtaining licences for radio ultrahigh frequencies in the 800 megahertz (MHz), 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,300 MHz and 2,600 MHz bands, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times.

The tender is open for both new and existing operators, which opens the door for a new operator in the country, according to the TRC.

The deadline for those interested in obtaining licences for the frequencies is September 1, according to the statement.

The country’s three telecom operators have opposed introducing 4G technology, which offers data transfer rates of up to 150 megabits per second, describing the move as “premature” in Jordan.

They also said issuing a licence to a fourth operator is unfeasible, arguing that it would harm the sector and reduce the government’s revenues, because “the Jordanian market is saturated”.

According to the latest figures released by the TRC, mobile penetration reached 147 per cent by the end of March of this year with about 9.475 million mobile subscriptions.

Internet penetration in Jordan has been reported at 69 per cent, according to official figures by the TRC.