Orange Jordan has requested an extension from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to implement 3G service, originally expected to launch in February 2010. CFO Raslan Diranieh said he does not expect the service to be launched by the first quarter of 2010 as the group had not received the required frequencies. Diranieh told the Jordan Times that the company paid the money for the licence a long time ago but did not understand what the delay was all about. Orange paid JOD 50 million for the licence to launch the service and serve as the exclusive commercial provider for one year. TRC Chief Commissioner Ahmad Hiyasat said the 3G frequencies in the location where Orange has decided to launch the service in initial stages were extended to Orange. He said there was no reason for extending the deadline or delaying the launch of the service, claiming that the frequencies needed to extend 3G service to the rest of the country are "ready to be provided". Orange was granted a licence to introduce the service in August and was given a six-month deadline. The group announced in October that 3G service would be operational in the first quarter of 2010 in Amman and nearby governorates.
