Bahrain mobile operators Batelco, Zain and Viva have received new spectrum licences for LTE, the country’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced on Thursday.

The regulator said it had made the allocation of radio frequencies suitable for mobile services including those based on LTE “a matter of national priority”.

However, the statement it issued on the subject was not wholly clear. Its wording suggests that spectrum has been allocated in the 900-MHz, 1800-MHz and 2100-MHz bands in order to boost the country’s mobile market, but there is no mention of how much spectrum has been allocated to whom or in which band.

“Consumers and citizens should benefit immediately from the additional release of prime spectrum used by handset providers for the provision of mobile LTE services, whilst national fixed wireless consumers will also be able to experience the benefits of LTE technology in terms of quality and speed in a fixed or nomadic environment providing an additional layer of competition,” the regulator said.

“TRA will closely monitor the rollout and demand for LTE in the kingdom to determine if and when additional frequencies should be offered to the sector,” it added.

Bahrain’s state-owned incumbent Batelco already offers LTE services, having launched in February. It has made a number of 4G-enabled smartphones available to users. Zain followed suit in April, but according to its Website it offers home router-based 4G services only.