The Communications & Information Technology Commission (CITC) is evaluating seven applications for two licences covering data communication services. The licences will enable firms to offer internet protocol transit and access, leased lines and managed data network services on a national level. CITC prequalified 16 local and international companies to bid for the two 15-year licences, which are expected to be awarded before year-end. Under a recently developed commercial provisioning fee structure, the new data services licensees will pay 4 per cent of their net revenues in the first year of operations to the government, which will increase to 6 per cent in the second year and to 8 per cent from the third year (MEED 16:4:04).