Update 1: LTE/4G license has been issued in Malaysia
According to a new report, some 9 long-term evolution (LTE) or 4G licenses are expected to be given out to current mobile/fixed operators in Malaysia. These license will probably be awarded in 2011.
“Apart from the four cellular and four WiMAX players each getting a 20Mhz block of 4G spectrum, it is learnt that a company linked to billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukary will also be a recipient of a block of the spectrum.”
“The players that might get the award were the four cellular players, namely Celcom Axiata Bhd, DiGi.Com Bhd, Maxis Bhd and U Mobile Sdn Bhd, and the four WiMAX players were Asiaspace Sdn Bhd, Packet One Network (M) Sdn Bhd, REDtone International Bhd and YTL Communications, according to sources.”
My comment
In my opinion, the MCMC/Communication Ministry in the past have been doing some mistakes in awarding the last 3G and WiMAX licenses. Spectrum are national resources like water and land, it has to be managed properly and by proper party.
Giving out 9 license will not fix our current broadband issues. They(Gov) said the same thing when four WiMAX license where given out, look where we are now. It has been 2 years and yet one WiMAX operator has yet to roll out its service and another one just disappeared.
Also, in my opinion some telcos are greedy, they want so many licenses and yet they are not doing much with what they already have.
Hopefully the Malaysia Government is doing the right thing.
