Denis O'Brien's Digicel is facing competition from nine other bidders to win one of two to three mobile phone licences that are on offer in the South Pacific nation of Fiji.

Digicel Fiji announced at the end of last month that it had submitted a bid to the Fijiian government for a licence.

Yesterday the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) reported that the regulatory unit of the Department of Communications confirmed that 10 bids had been received for the new mobile licences.

The department will spend the rest of the month assessing the submissions before making a recommendation to the Fijiian government.

FBC quoted Josua Turaganivalu, a director of the regulatory unit at the department of communications, as saying that two to three licences were likely to be awarded.

Fiji is currently being run by an interim executive following a coup last December which deposed the prime minister, Laisenia Qarase. Last week the interim prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, rejected international calls for elections.

Digicel established operations in Fiji two years ago in advance of the liberalisation of the mobile market. The company currently employs 40 local Fijiians and has said this would expand to 250 full-time staff and another 250 part-time if it is successful in its bid.

Fiji has a population of just over 900,000. A Vodafone subsidiary is already active in the local market but is 51 per cent owned by state telco Fiji Telecom.

Digicel said in a statement last month that it will drive competition in Fiji by offering "the best value mobile services".

Digicel Pacific is currently operational in Samoa and Papua New Guinea and has signalled its intention to seek licences to operate in a number of countries in the South Pacific.