PCCW, the city's largest fixed-line operator, and Hutchison Telecom Hong Kong, the largest local mobile operator, have submitted a joint bid for a licence to offer fourth-generation mobile telephone services.
The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (Ofta), which regulates Hong Kong's telecommunications industry, said yesterday it had received five bids for the broadband wireless access licence.
The regulator will hold an auction for the licence on January 12.
The licence will cover a spectrum suitable for the technology called Long Term Evolution, an upgraded version of the existing 3G mobile technology. It can also be used for fixed wireless broadband technology.
Other bidders include China Mobile Hong Kong, which operates the 2G mobile service in the city under the Peoples brand; CSL, a joint venture between New World Holdings and Australia's Telstra Corp; SmarTone Wireless; and fixed-line carrier Hong Kong Broadband Network.
Companies that market watchers had expected to bid but stayed away include Wharf T&T, New World Telecom and i-Cable Communications.
