Monday, March 25, 2013

Singapore Auction of 270 MHz for Long Term Evolution

Singapore's communications regulator, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA, plans a mid-2013 auction of 270 MHz of spectrum for Long Term Evolution. 

The spectrum includes 150 MHz in the 1800 MHz band and 120 MHz of spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band. A 2 x 20 MHz block will be set aside for a new entrant to the Singapore mobile services market. 

Spectrum licenses will have terms of 13 years (1800 MHz spectrum or 15 years for the 2.5 GHz spectrum. 

IDA will cap any single service provider at of 2 x 30 MHz for the 1800 MHz band, and 2 x 45 MHz for the 2.5 GHz spectrum (assuming a successful new entrant emerges). 

There will be no mandatory wholesale requirements for any of the licenses. To avoid "spectrum flipping," no spectrum can be sold until the spectrum licensee has completed its national build. 

In that context, "new entrant" refers to potential service providers that do not currently provide nationwide mobile service in Singapore. 


Reserve prices have been set at S$16 million for each 2 x 5 MHz block of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band and S$10 million for each 2 x 5 MHz lot for the 2.5 GHz band, excluding the goods and services tax. 

IDA will also require the bidders to pay an annual spectrum management fee of S$26,400 per 2 x 5 MHz spectrum lot per year of each spectrum right, and a one-time application and processing fee of S$5,400 per 2 x 5 MHz spectrum lot.


Service providers are required to obtain a "Facilities Based Operator" license from IDA, among other licences, to roll out any new nationwide mobile system.


IDA forecasts that the mobile data traffic mobile data traffic in Singapore will grow exponentially from around 3.1 petabytes in 2010 to around 37 petabytes in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate of 64 percent. 

Potential additional blocks of spectrum in the 700 MHz and 900 MHz bands also are expected to be auctioned at some point, separately and in the future. The 700 MHz blocks would not be available until 2020, when analog TV services are shut off. 



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