Hong Kong’s Communications Authority (CA) has adjusted the rollout obligations for upcoming 26GHz and 28GHz band 5G mobile licensing in response to requests from industry players, the regulator announced on its website.
Licensees have five years to install a set minimum number of base stations – calculated in proportion to the amount of spectrum they receive – and must install at least 20% of the total in the first three years, rising to 50% in the fourth year.
The timescale was loosened after industry comments concerning lead times for network installations including indoor cell sites. The application deadline has been extended slightly, and is now 22 February 2019. The performance bond for guaranteeing compliance with the network and service rollout obligations, at HKD1 million (USD127,000) per MHz of spectrum assigned, remains unchanged.