IMDA delays assessment of the potential fourth telco

Prequalified candidates will be announced by end-November.

Singapore's Infocomm & Media Development Authority (IMDA) has delayed the completion of its assessment for the three expressions of interest submitted by MyRepublic, airYotta and TPG Telecom by another 20 business days, a report by UOB Kay Hian said. The assessment on who gets to participate in the spectrum auction has been extended for the second time by IMDA.

Initially, the decision should have been announced by October. The brokerage firm noted that with the extension, IMDA may announce the pre-qualified candidates by end-November, and the new entrant spectrum auction could be conducted in December, at the earliest.

In previous reports, the authority  stressed that it would consider applicants' track records among many other criteria before allowing their participation in the upcoming spectrum auction.

For UOB, the entry of a new company would shake up the telco scene in Singapore, shattering the cosy oligopoly the industry has become.

"The mobile industry has been unaccustomed to free competition. The entry of a fourth mobile operator would cause major disruption," UOB stressed.