Vodafone Spain has been dropped from the bidding for a four-year contract from the Catalonian regional government because it did not present all the required documents. This leaves only Telefonica Moviles and Grupo Auna in the running. Vodafone, which is the current contract holder, had little interest in a renewal because of the very tight margins, according to industry sources. Telefonica's offer is EUR 15.3 million before VAT and Auna's is over EUR 14.5 million before VAT, said people who were present when the bids were opened. The Catalonian govt has 6,500 handsets and 7,500 lines. A winner is due to be declared at end-July 2003.
