Lowrey ‘was under pressure from bidders’

JUST weeks before civil servants chose Esat Digifone as winner of the State’s second mobile phone licence competition, Michael Lowry was under pressure from bidders who were concerned “the competition was sewn up and the media favourite had the licence in the bag”.

Both media and bookmakers, the Moriarty Tribunal heard yesterday, had strongly tipped the Persona consortium, which included Sigma Wireless and Motorola, to secure the deal to run the country's second GSM network.

Anxious to know if the speculation had substance, Mr Lowry phoned Fintan Towey, a member of the GSM project team in his department.