WiMAX tender will not be re-run, merely delayed

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has revealed that it will not relaunch the tender for the country’s first 2.3HGz WiMAX wireless broadband concession, opting instead to stick with the submissions it has already received. In a statement on its website, the MCMC said all 17 applications for the postponed auction of the licence will be fully evaluated once issues regarding the terms and conditions of the concession are resolved with the Ministry of Communications (MoC). The tender was postponed because the terms of the bidding, set by the MCMC, were not in line with the MoC’s own licensing regulations, most notably in terms of the roll out of infrastructure. The news was welcomed by most of the applicants, many of whom had feared that there would be increased competition for the licence if the tender was relaunched. The MCMC had originally intended to announce the winner by 31 October, but has yet to provide a revised timetable for issuing the concession.