Singapore telcos get more time for 5G bids

Singapore

THE telecom regulator has pushed back its industry deadline for 5G licence bids, citing "requests from the mobile network operators (MNOs) for more time to submit proposals".

Would-be bidders now have until Feb 17 to make their pitches, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said on Thursday, in an update to the initial Jan 21 deadline.

With this move, 5G hopefuls now have another month to turn in bids for the licences that went up for grabs when the IMDA opened the floor to applications on Oct 17 last year.

MNOs can, either singly or in team-ups, apply for two licences to run islandwide 5G systems, as well as up to two for smaller-scale networks.

Telco players welcomed the extension, with incumbents Singtel, StarHub and M1 indicating that they will work towards the new closing date.

Meanwhile, Australian player TPG Telecom, which entered the Singapore market in late 2018, described the scope of the 5G exercise as substantial, but said it needs "deeper analysis".

"The extended timeline helps as we require further clarification and co-ordination with our various business partners and vendors," its spokesman told The Business Times.

The IMDA's rationale mirrors that of a similar deadline tweak, in mid-2019, for the industry consultation ahead of licence applications.

But the latest extension is not expected to affect the rest of the 5G roll-out timetable, BT understands. Singapore is still on track to award the licences around mid-2020.