By RACHNA LAL and RANOBA BAOA
At end of day one of the auction for Fiji’s 4G LTE spectrum yesterday, only eight lots were left for bidding out of the 20 available.
Four of the remaining lots fall under the ‘Standard’ category and the other four under the ‘Special Coverage Requirement’ category.
Vodafone Fiji filled its 300MHz quota winning bids for six lots, four under ‘Special Coverage Requirement’ category and two under ‘Standard’ category.
Telecom Fiji Limited and Digicel Fiji have both won three bids each for three ‘Standard’ lots each.
Whilst there were no bids for lots 13 to 16, Telecom Fiji was the highest bidder for lot 9 and Digicel Fiji was the highest bidder for lots 10 to 12.
Therefore, the auction for ‘Standard’ lots 9 to 12 and ‘Special Coverage Requirement’ lots 13 to 16 will continue today at Suvavou House in Suva.
The lots will be allocated once there has been a clear round with no bids.
Following a clear round and allocation of lots, the auction will commence again until there are two clear rounds in a row with no lots allocated at which the auction will close.
This is Fiji’s first ever auction of frequencies on the spectrum, the airwaves that carry mobile phone signals marking a process that will make super fast 4G internet access available to all Fijians.
Government had initially stated the winning bidders will be required to make 4G service operational by a set deadline.
This will prevent the holding of airwaves in disuse for the purpose of speculation, profiteering or preventing competition from entering the market.
Vodafone happy with outcome
Vodafone Fiji said they are happy with the process and outcome of the spectrum bidding.
Managing director Aslam Khan said: “The spectrum bidding has been a transparent process with all industry players given a fair opportunity to participate and bid for the frequency spectrums on offer.
“Vodafone Fiji was able to secure and win all the frequencies for which it had placed its bid at a reasonable price.
“These frequencies are aligned with our business objectives and future technology upgrade path.”
Mr Khan said although they currently offer 3G technology to 95 per cent of Fiji’s population, they are well-placed for the next phase of network technology evolution.
“The spectrum allocation today clears the path for us to plan our business accordingly,” he said.
What’s 4G?
4G LTE is the fourth generation of wireless network technology featuring greater bandwidth and faster speeds than previous wireless networks.
Vodafone Fiji managing director, Aslam Khan, walks into Level 1, Suvavou House, for the 4G LTE spectrum auction yesterday, Photo: PAULINI RATULAILAI