Singapore’s telecoms regulator has announced plans to hold a 4G spectrum auction later this year.
The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore has decided to put 150MHz of spectrum in the 1800MHz band up for sale and 120 MHz in the 2.5GHz…
Singapore’s telecoms regulator has announced plans to hold a 4G spectrum auction later this year.
The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore has decided to put 150MHz of spectrum in the 1800MHz band up for sale and 120 MHz in the 2.5GHz band.
A total reserve price for the spectrum has been set at S$360m (US$294m). Successful bidders will also be required to pay an annual fee of S$26,400 (US$21,556) per 2x5MHz spectrum and a one-time application fee of S$5,400 (US$4,413) per 2x5MHz spectrum, the IDA said.
A tentative deadline for expressions of interest has been set at May/June 2013. Although new licences will be awarded this year, the spectrum rights will actually commence from 1 July 2015 for the 2.5GHz band and 1 April 2017 for the 1800MHz band.
This is “to give operators more certainty in their 4G investments,” said the IDA.
Additionally, 40MHz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band will be set aside for any new mobile operator that wishes to enter the market, but this 40MHz will be included in the main auction if there is no new entrant.
In 2011, the IDA issued an interim decision which allowed operators to begin deploying 4G systems using their existing spectrum rights. Singapore’s three leading mobile operators – SingTel, StarHub and M1 – have all introduced LTE services since then.
“With the exponential growth in Singapore’s mobile data traffic, the growth of 4G will drive innovation in high capacity mobile services and bring better user experience and service quality than existing 3G services,” said Leong Keng Thai, deputy CEO and director-general (Telecoms and Post) at the IDA.
“While commercial LTE services are already available, its use is still at a nascent stage. The auction of spectrum for 4G services will pave the way for nationwide deployment of 4G and for consumers to enjoy higher speeds in accessing mobile services across Singapore. This auction will also complement IDA’s measures to enhance consumers’ mobile data experience.”
