Who are AMI and how did they become involved in the second mobile phone licence process?
AMI was established in Denmark in 1991 by Mr Michael Andersen. Prior to establishing AMI, Michael Andersen had accumulated a wealth of experience in the telecommunications sector having begun his professional career as a Head of Section with the Danish Telecommunications Regulator’s Office in 1983.
By 1995, AMI was recognised as a leading international management consultancy firm with particular expertise in the field of telecommunications. AMI had a specialist department wholly devoted to the developing mobile technology sector and had been involved in a great many licence competitions similar to the project being undertaken by the Irish Government. AMI’s expertise was underscored by the vast number of projects in which they had been involved prior to the submission of its tender for the Irish second mobile phone licence process. It had earned them telecommunications consultancy work with Governments around the world in locations as diverse as the USA, Nepal, Zambia, Great Britain, Mauritius and Albania (amongst numerous others). By 1995, AMI had been involved in the award of over 120 mobile telecommunications licences in almost 50 countries worldwide.
AMI first became involved in the second mobile phone licence process when it responded to an invitation to tender published by the Irish Government in the Official Journal of the European Community in late 1994. AMI submitted a pre-qualification document and subsequently a final tender and quotation on 16 March 1995 to the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications (DTEC) “for tailor made expert and consultancy services in connection with the evaluation and licence award to an operator to install and operate a second GSM network in Ireland”.
The DTEC assessed AMI’s tender and decided to award AMI the consultancy work for the second mobile phone licence project. AMI were formally informed of this decision in or around early April 1995. AMI’s work on the second mobile phone licence project in Ireland commenced in mid April 1995. AMI’s appointment was announced publicly on 11 April 1995. AMI had their first meeting with the dedicated project team team drawn from the DTEC and the Department of Finance on 19 April 1995.
AMI were engaged in order to provide expert assistance to the second mobile phone licence process. Once AMI were on board no other external advisers or consultants were retained by the Irish Government to provide assistance in the licence process. It is also clear that AMI were retained to provide expert assistance in the formulation and conducting of an evaluation process which would ultimately allow the Irish Government to choose the best applicant for the second mobile phone licence. This applicant would be granted the entitlement to negotiate with the Government for the award of the licence. The DTEC also retained AMI to prepare a report on the Irish regulatory regime. The contract in relation to this work was agreed on 12 July 1995. This general regulatory work was carried on in tandem with the second mobile phone licence project.
Six applications were received for the second GSM phone licence on 4 August 1995. On 25 October 1995, it was announced that Esat Digifone (which had been designated “A5″ by the PTGSM) was the winner of the competition and was therefore recommended to the Irish Government as the party with whom it should commence exclusive negotiations for the awarding of the second mobile phone licence. These negotiations took place between 25 October 1995 and 16 May 1996. AMI also provided some additional services to the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications during the negotiation process. At the end of this process, Esat Digifone was ultimately awarded the licence on 16 May 1996 and began providing commercial services to Irish consumers in March of the following year.
