The Shin Satellite (ShinSat) consortium is among the four companies shortlisted to bid for a licence to operate the first private cellular service in Bhutan. Earlier, Advanced Info Service (AIS), Thailand’s largest cellular operator, was invited to participate in the bidding but Shin Corporation, AIS’s parent company, assigned ShinSat instead because, unlike AIS, it has experience in transacting business in overseas markets. Three of the shortlisted companies are joint ventures: the Singye Group with Reliance Communications; Druktel, a consortium of Bhutanese companies, with Airtel India; and ShinSat with Bhutan Steel. The fourth one, the Tashi Group, is the only independent company participating.
