The IMDA wants to help operators achieve nationwide 5G coverage by 2025, but not at the expense of customers still on 3G
2.1GHz licences are about to expire: The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) is proposing to allocate the 2.1GHz band for 5G. On 26 July, the regulator opened a public consultation on the future use of the band, currently used for 3G, with licences due to expire at the end of 2021. The aim to reallocate the band to MNOs to facilitate standalone (SA) 5G rollout. This should help operators extend their SA 5G coverage, for which they are currently using the 3.5GHz band allocated in 2020. At the same time, operators would be allowed flexibility for 3G services to continue.
Helping MNOs achieve nationwide 5G coverage: The IMDA is looking to allocate the 2.1GHz spectrum by auction, unlike the 3.5GHz spectrum which was awarded to Singtel through a call for proposal, and to the StarHub–M1 joint venture. Should those two operators obtain 2.1GHz frequencies, they would be able to use it to fulfil the coverage requirements attached to the 3.5GHz licences (that is, to reach 50% outdoor coverage by end-2022, and 95% outdoor coverage by end-2025). If any other operator obtains 2.1GHz frequencies, they will face the same coverage requirements within two and five years of obtaining a licence, respectively. Licences would have a 15-year duration from 1 January 2022.
The IMDA is mindful of the continued use of 3G in the country: The regulator’s approach suggests the intention to strike a balance between future and legacy networks, and to give 3G customers adequate time to migrate to newer technologies. The number of 3G subscribers in Singapore is significant. There were about 700k as of April 2021, making up about 8% of all mobile subscriptions, and about 1.5m devices still depending on 3G networks. The IMDA therefore proposes that a small amount of the 2.1GHz band continues to support 3G services. The regulator would allocate First-Right-of-Refusal (FROR) lots to operators currently running 3G networks. These FROR lots will be of 2x5MHz per MNO. Each MNO will be able to repurpose these lots for 5G use after it has shut down its 3G network, having obtained the IMDA’s prior approval. Strikingly, the IMDA grants these MNOs the right to use for 3G the other lots up for auction, meaning that if they do not obtain FROR lots they can still use the rest of the band for 3G.
