The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) announced today (14 October 2019) that a total of 200 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band was successfully auctioned off to four mobile network operators at a total of spectrum utilization fees (SUFs) of HK$1.006 billion.
"Four bidders, namely China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited (CMHK), Hong Kong Telecommunications (HKT) Limited (HKT), Hutchison Telephone Company Limited (HTCL) and SmarTone Mobile Communications Limited (SmarTone) took part in the 3.5 GHz band auction. The auction came to a satisfactory conclusion after completion of the quantity phase and the assignment phase today," a spokesman for OFCA said.
The results of the auction are listed in the table below:
| Frequency Block | Frequency Range | Provisional Successful Bidder | SUF Payable |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 – A6 | 3400 – 3460 MHz | CMHK | HK$300 million |
| A7 – A11 | 3460 – 3510 MHz | HKT | HK$252 million |
| A12 – A16 | 3510 – 3560 MHz | SmarTone | HK$252 million |
| A17 – A20 | 3560 – 3600 MHz | HTCL | HK$202 million |
"The provisional successful bidders are required to pay the SUFs as specified in the table above and to submit performance bonds to guarantee compliance with the network and service rollout requirement by 14 January 2020. Further, they are required to collectively make contributions to a fund for a subsidy scheme to support the upgrade of existing Satellite Master Antenna Television systems by 25 November 2019. The assignment of the spectrum will take effect on 1 April 2020 and be valid for a period of 15 years," the spokesman for OFCA added.
Office of the Communications Authority
14 October 2019