The regulator also noted that a total of 1,200 megahertz of the spectrum will be assigned to Hong Kong carriers in the third quarter of this year
Hong Kong’s Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) announced the results of the second round assignment of the frequencies in the 26 GHz and 28 GHz bands.
The regulator also noted that a total of 1,200 megahertz of the spectrum will be assigned in the third quarter of this year to four mobile network operators, namely China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK), Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT), Hutchison Telephone Company (HTCL) and SmarTone, to provide 5G services.
To further promote 5G development, the Communications Authority (CA) had issued a public invitation for the second round assignment in February this year for interested parties to submit applications for the 2,500 megahertz of the spectrum available in the 26/28 GHz bands. Having reviewed the applications submitted by the four telcos, the Communications Authority decided to assign 600 megahertz of the spectrum to HTCL and an additional 200 megahertz of the spectrum to each of the three MNOs, namely, CMHK, HKT and SmarTone, on top of the 400 megahertz of the spectrum already assigned to each of them in 2019. With this new assignment, the four MNOs will each receive 600 megahertz of the spectrum. In addition, the CA decided to re-organize the assigned spectrum in order to ensure that each operator can receive contiguous spectrum.
“The spectrum assignment will enable operators to further expand their 5G networks and enhance capacity, particularly in providing better 5G services at locations with high traffic demand to meet the public expectation for high-speed and reliable mobile services, while also promoting the development of various innovative applications, thereby fostering the development of Hong Kong’s smart economy,” a spokesman for the CA said.
Apart from the assignment of spectrum in the 26/28 GHz bands, the 2023 Policy Address had announced that the Hong Kong Government will conduct auctions for spectrum in the 850/900 MHz, 2.3 GHz and the 6/7 GHz bands in the fourth quarter of this year, providing a total of 510 megahertz of spectrum for the provision of 5G services in the territory.
The regulator noted that the MNOs must meet all licensing requirements, including the payment of the required license fees, for the assignment of the relevant spectrum. “They must also comply with the service provision requirements set by the CA for the 26/28 GHz bands. According to the current policy on the spectrum utilization fees (SUF) for spectrum to be assigned administratively, as the total amount of spectrum to be assigned will be less than 75% of the total amount of spectrum in the 26/28 GHz bands, the assignees are not required to pay SUF for the use of the spectrum,” the regulator said.
China Mobile Hong Kong, Hutchinson and HKT had launched commercial 5G services in Hong Kong in April 2020, while SmarTone, announced the launch of commercial 5G services in the territory using Ericsson’s Dynamic Spectrum Technology (DSS) in May 2020.
Local operators had acquired 200 megahertz of 3.5 GHz spectrum in mid-October 2019. These 5G licenses will be valid for a 15-year period.
