Four incumbent telecom operators win 4G licences

In a statement released yesterday, the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation (DSRT) announced that the four mobile operators have won licences to run fourth-generation wireless (4G) telecommunications services: they are Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau SARL (CTM), China Telecom (Macau) Company Ltd., Hutchison Telephone (Macau) Company Ltd., and SmarTone – Comunicações Móveis, S.A. The result means that the new entrants China Mobile Hong Kong Company Ltd. and start-up telecoms venture Yu Hong have lost their bids. As required by the government, the licence winners have to launch a 4G mobile broadband service covering 50 per cent of the city by the end of this year, with 100 per cent coverage in 2016.