Eagle Mobile becomes 3rd cell phone operator in Albania

TIRANA, Albania: Eagle Mobile, a telecoms provider owned by a Turkish consortium, says it has become Albania's third mobile phone operator. The company says it has begun operating in Tirana, the capital; in Durres to the west of Tirana, and at the country's international airport.

Eagle Mobile is saying Thursday that it will expand its network to cover the whole country in the early summer.

The company is owned by the Calik Enerji telekomunikasyon A.S, a consortium of Calik Enerji and Turk Telekom. Last year it bought 76 percent of Albanian state phone company Albtelecom Sh.A. and the right to launch a third cellular operator.

Albania has two other cell phone operators — Albanian Mobile Communication, or AMC, and Vodafone Albania, with about 2.5 million clients in this country of 3.3 million.

Last year AMC and Vodafone were fined €3.76 million (US$5.79 million) for overcharging consumers.