The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) will auction a total of 235 MHz of more spectrum for mobile services.
The framework for the allocation of spectrum for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) and IMT-Advanced services was announced on Thursday.
The government agency also said it will facilitate the entry of a new mobile network operator (MNO), but will make sure that there is sufficient spectrum for existing players and providers.
“Pervasive connectivity is a key enabler for our Smart Nation vision. This release of the spectrum is timely as it will support the growth of applications that rely on data, as well as new growth areas such as the Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine communications,” said Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director, IDA.
The spectrum allocation auction will be held this year will take place over two stages. The first one will be for parties who do not currently operate a nationwide mobile network in Singapore.
For these new entrants, IDA is making available 60 MHz of the spectrum from the 900-MHz and 2.3-GHz bands. The auction for this spectrum will start at the bid price of S$35 million (US$24.9 million) and will commence in April.
The second stage will be held after the conclusion of the first auction and will be open to the incumbent MNOs – M1, Singtel Mobile and StarHub Mobile – and any new MNO who emerges after the first auction.
Poh said the spectrum auction is designed with the interests of consumers in mind.
“Having more players in the market will give consumers a greater choice in selecting an offering that best suits their needs,” she said.
IDA said it will allow a reasonable period for the new MNO to build up its own network, and will require the new MNO to achieve nationwide outdoor service coverage by October 2018.
The new MNO will also be required to comply with IDA’s relevant regulatory frameworks and requirements, including Quality of Service (QoS) and service resiliency standards, in phases.