TPG gets a break after losing 5G beauty contest, but chances in new auction not pretty

THE prospect of more 5G spectrum in the 2.1GHz band could be a boon for newcomer TPG Telecom, which missed out on last year's "beauty contest" for 3.5GHz licences.

But the mobile network operator (MNO) still has only a slim chance of becoming a serious contender here.

That's as watchers emphasised that the 2.1GHz frequency now on the auction block will not be enough to support a nationwide standalone 5G network without top-ups from the 3.5GHz spectrum awarded last year.