A senior civil servant at the Ministry of Communications said that the regulator would be launched within the next eight to 12 months.

Kuwait is the only GCC country that does not have an independent regulator even though its telecoms sector is more advanced than most of its neighbours.

The ministry’s undersecretary Abdul Aziz al-Osaimi said, “Before the third telecom provider starts its official operation, regulations and laws to protect all operators and consumers will be put in place. Not having an independent authority does not mean that the ministry is unable to do its role as a supervising and regulatory entity.”

Bidding for the third mobile phone licence closes on 18 November.