M'sia to auction more 3G licenses

M'sia to auction more 3G licenses

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities plan to sell two more high-speed third-generation mobile communications licenses in a second round of auctions beginning Aug. 22, a government agency said on Friday.

The move will allow the country's smaller telecommunications companies, such as DiGi.Com, to compete with the first round bidders in 2002 -- Telekom Malaysia and Maxis -- that rolled out their 3G services earlier this year, analysts said.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said it will auction more 3G licenses because of the "current positive trend in the rollout of 3G services worldwide, the availability of spectrum and the need to promote and sustain competition."

The licenses will be awarded by a tender costing 55 million ringgit (US$14.5 million) each, with applications closing Nov. 11.

Successful bidders will be announced by February next year, the commission said. -- AP