PCCW's Telephone Limited has won a tender for the CDMA2000
spectrum in Hong Kong.?
The local operator was the only bidder for the fifth
third-generation (3G) mobile license offered by the Hong Kong
government, according to the Office of the Telecommunications
Authority (OFTA), the local regulator.
Before 17:00 PM on October 12, the deadline for bidders to
register, PCCW was the only applicant. In accordance with
previously set procedures, if there were only one company bidding,
then the license would be given directly to the company.
PCCW stands as the provisional successful bidder, a spokesman
from OFTA said.
The government issued the CDMA license in order to offer CDMA
roaming services in the city and to improve its strategic position
as a world city and gateway to Chinese mainland.
Previously Hong Kong authorities issued four 3G mobile licenses
but all of them were based on WCDMA technology.
The result doesn't jive with the expectations of many insiders.
Analysts expected China Unicom to bid for the Hong Kong CDMA2000
license. China Unicom issued a declaration that it has been
actively seeking partners to form a joint venture or cooperate in
bidding for the license, but for various reasons it could not reach
a commercial agreement before the bidding deadline.
China Unicom is the sole CDMA operator on the Chinese mainland
with some 40 million customers.
Industrial insiders estimate that China Unicom's drawback from
the bidding is probably related to the?reconstruction of
Chinese mainland's telecommunications industry. But before any
solution is finalized, China Unicom certainly won't rashly throw
away a huge investment.???
(China.org.cn by Wang Zhiyong October 17, 2007)
