The succinctly named Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation, or ODTR for short, has finally published the long-awaited invitations to apply for the third mobile phone licence.

The office declined to hold a press briefing on what amounts to the sale of a State asset and it is also a matter which will have profound effects for both mobile phone operators and users.

However, it did leave a couple of contact names. One is that of a staff member who works in the office, and he is a client of Esat Digifone, who we all know is one of the two current mobile phone operators. The Margin wonders whether this a vote of confidence in the non-state operator?