Path clear for phone licence challenges

The Supreme Court has cleared two unsuccessful bidders for the State’s second mobile phone licence to proceed with a legal challenge to the manner in which the licence was allocated in 1995 to Esat.

Comcast International Holdings Incorporated and Persona Digital Telephony Ltd initiated separate actions 11 years ago challenging the licence award and claimed multimillion-euro in damages. Both cases are expe-cted to proceed to hearing in the High Court but it is anticipated neither will be heard before mid-2014.

Comcast’s action was against the minister for public enterprise, Michael Lowry, the State, Esat Telecom, and businessman Denis O’Brien. Persona’s were against the minister for public enterprise, Ireland, and the Attorney General.