THE Department of Communications has, for the first time, revealed the general factors which determined how the competitors for the GSM licence were rated. The total points available were 100.

The credibility of the business plan and an applicant's approach to market development was the most important factor, scoring 30 points.

The next most important issue was the quality and viability of an applicant's technical approach which was worth 20 points.

Introducing competitive tariffs scored 18 points.

The amount paid for the licence in excess of the minimum £5 million was worth 11 points.

Meeting or exceeding the minimum coverage requirements within the required time-frame was worth seven points, while the international call service plan scored six points.

The two other crucial factors were the performance guarantee (five points) and the efficiency of the proposed use of frequency spectrum resources (three points).