Malaysia Awards Just Two 3G Licenses

Malaysia has awarded just two of its three available 3G licenses. Malaysia's two biggest telecom firms, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis Communications were awarded a license, while Time dotCom, TRI and newcomer E-Touch all failed to meet the regulators minimum limits for the license. Malaysia's third largest network, DiGi.Com did not bid for a license.

"Only two met the criteria," commented Nuraizah Abdul Hamid, chairman of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. "The announcement of the successful bidders does not mean that the process is over. They have to submit a detailed business plan within six months or run the risk of not getting spectrum at all," she added. Maxis Communications has already said that it will offer a tender for 3G infrastructure by the end of this year. in order to comply with the six month deadline.

TRI is widely expected to launch a takeover bid for DiGi.Com - an expectation that was only heightened when only one of the two companies decided to bid for the 3G license.'"

Posted to the site on 31st July 2002