May the best telco win: Who among the telco aspirants is ahead of the game?

MyRepublic is the frontrunner with 55,000 subscribers already.

Three telcos, MyRepublic, airYotta, and TPG telecom, have already expressed their intent to own the coveted reserved spectrum and be the the fourth mobile network operator, but it seems like one is already ahead of the game with its goal.

According to a report by UOB Kay Hian, MyRepublic has taken the frontrunner status with its planned roll out of a pre-5G network that delivers higher speed and latency.

"MyRepublic wants to be a new breed of Telco that runs on new economics and built from the ground up for next generation mobile services," the report said.

Quoting MyRepublic COO Yap Yong Teck, the report also noted that the aspiring telco already sees convergence in fixed and mobile technologies, with the aim of playing a greater role in shaping the Internet of Things and Smart Nation initiative of the city-state.

UOB also stated that MyRepublic managed to score three strategic partners and investors including the mobile operator in Brunei, DST Communications.

Sunshine Network, which has affiliations with Sinar Mas and Indonesia-based mobile operator SmartFren, and Xavier Niel, founder of the fourth telco in France, also gave a nod to MyRepublic's bid.

"Singapore-based Leonie Hill Capital, a private equity company with offices in Singapore, South Korea and the US, also invested," UOB added.

Meanwhile, Gregory Yap of Maybank Kim Eng said MyRepublic  has already garnered over 55,000 subscribers in the city-state as an upstart ISP and broadband network operator.

The Infocomm Development Authority will review the three telco aspirants' EOIs and decide who qualifies within the next 20 days.