In September 1999, the telecommunications infrastructure in East Timor was destroyed during the crisis following the East Timorese independence referendum. In 2001, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) launched an international tender for the construction of a replacement telecommunications system. The new network was to be operated according to a concession agreement as a BOT (Build–operate–transfer) arrangement. In July 2002, the Timor Telecom consortium (led by Portugal Telecom) was awarded the tender.