IDA to hold spectrum auction in Q3 to facilitate entry of 4th telco
THE Republic is set to welcome a fourth telco this year.
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) on Thursday announced a spectrum allocation framework that will facilitate the entry of a new mobile network operator (MNO) to "enhance innovation and competition" in the mobile market.
The IDA will make available 60 MHz of spectrum from the 900 MHz and 2.3 GHz bands for the New Entrant Spectrum Auction, at a starting bid price of S$35 million, down from the initially proposed S$40 million.
The New Entrant Spectrum Auction will take place in Q3 2016, and spectrum rights for the new entrant will commence in April 2017.
A General Spectrum Auction will be held after the conclusion of the New Entrant Spectrum Auction and be open to the incumbent MNOs - M1, Singtel and StarHub - as well as any new MNO which emerges.
The framework, the IDA said, is "timely" given growing mobile data demand, and also ensures there is "sufficient" spectrum for the incumbent MNOs to continue to provide quality mobile services.
Each incumbent, for example, will be offered at least 2x5Mhz in the 900MHz band - a move welcomed by M1, which told BT it is evaluating IDA's decision and will be seeking clarification.
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Companies & Markets
S&P slashes Boeing credit outlook as rating hovers above junk status
Honda to spend US$11 billion on EV strategy in Canada
GlaxoSmithKline sues Pfizer and BioNTech over Covid-19 vaccine technology
Mapletree Industrial Trust Q4 DPU rises 0.9% to S$0.0336
Nasdaq’s profit falls as shaky economy keeps IPO revival elusive
iFast Q1 net profit surges on ePension unit performance