The council's chairman, Gasper Gacina, said the 30-year licence referred to offering services in the fixed telephone network at the national level, without the use of the radio-frequency spectrum, which was why it was not necessary to invite bids for the second operator and interested parties, like Optima, could only send in their applications.
The price of the licence is eight million kuna, and Optima Telekom is bound to pay the amount immediately after signing the contract.
The company wrote in its application that it would start offering services six months after it was given the licence.
The company is part of the Optima Group, owned by Matija Martic, which is mainly engaged in the construction of call centres in Croatia and the wider area for T-Croatian Telekom, VIPnet, many banks an other institutions..
Asked by reporters about other applications, council member Juraj Muzina said the Split-based Portus company sent its request yesterday, but that the council could not decide now because of lack of time.
That is why a decision on a possible third operator in the fixed telephony can be expected after the council considers Portus's offer thoroughly, Muzina explained.
Later in the day, T-Croatian Telekom (T-HT) reported that in compliance with an agreement it reached with the national Telecommunications Agency, this company would allow Optima Telekom to ask and have access to T-HT local portals as of 1 January 2005.
Commenting on the arrival of the first competitor on the fixed telephony market, T-HT said it welcomed the arrival of other providers of fixed telephony services.