MiTV and TTDotcom wins 3G license in Malaysia

March 6, 2006

MiTV Corporation and TTDotcom have been awarded 3G spectrum licences in Malaysia. The country's smallest mobile phone company, DiGi, failed to secure one of the two licenses to offer high-speed 3G services despite being seen as a frontrunner.

The two winners were ordered to work with DiGi so that Digi could offer 3G services on their networks.

"To achieve a win-win situation, the successful applicants have been directed to work with DiGi and other service providers as a mobile virtual network operator," the communications ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that all three applicants had met the minimum threshold in terms of technical, financial and managerial capabilities.

The news comes as a blow to Digi as both of its larger rivals, Maxis Communications and Telekom Malaysia, already own 3G licenses allocated under a previous tender.

DiGi said that it plans to demand "official clarification" from the government.

Malaysia has a population of 26 million people with over 16 million mobile phone users.