Cambodia to hold 800MHz, 2600MHz auction in December

The Cambodian government has announced plans to hold a public auction for two 4G LTE concessions in the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands, after the original licence holders failed to utilise them, the Phnom Penh Post writes. Khov Makara, spokesman for the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Cambodia (MPTC), said the government will give telecoms companies the chance to bid for the licences under a new ‘comparative tender process’ that will also take into account how the companies intend to utilise the frequencies. Previously, the government sold spectrum licences on a first-come, first-served basis. The official said: ‘This is the first time to open licences to a public bid for all mobile operators, as we want to expand the quality of service (QoS) to the consumer … This is a new model that allows us to get more revenue for the state, and we will no longer be selling frequencies on a first-come, first-served basis, as before.’ Mobile network operators will have until 1 December to submit their bids, with all successful shortlisted bidders scheduled to be notified by the end of the year.