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IDA looking to inject more competition in the mobile market

SINGAPORE — The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) is looking into inject more competition in the mobile market.

SINGAPORE — The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) is looking into inject more competition in the mobile market.

One way it aims to do this is by offering consumers more choices of service providers through opening up the market for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) to offer Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (NGNBN) services, the IDA said today (April 22).

MNVO operators do not own any infrastructure or spectrum themselves but purchase network services at wholesale rates from the three telcos. They presently serve mostly niche markets, such as the migrant community.

The six MNVO operators which are active in Singapore sell mobile services under their own branding at lower retail prices than the telcos.

The IDA said today that it is consulting the MVNO industry to gauge the level of interest in offering NGNBN services to the public.

“IDA wants to inject more competition in the mobile market, which could lead to lower prices and more innovative services. Niche markets could also be better served,” said an IDA spokesman.

The IDA also announced it may be allocating more spectrum over the next six years — up to 450MHz worth — for mobile broadband services such as 4G, as demand for mobile data services increase.

It will consult the industry on the demand from the market, technical considerations as well as appropriate timelines to allocate the spectrum.

The public consultation will end on May 20.

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