CTM to start 5G service on Monday
The Macau government announced yesterday that two telecom operators, CTM and China Telecom (Macau) Company Limited, have each been granted a 5G licence.
Meanwhile, CTM announced in a press conference yesterday that it expects to start its 5G service next Monday. However, no details about its 5G service plans and fees were announced during yesterday’s press conference.
China Telecom (Macau) did not issue any follow-up announcement yesterday.
The government’s decision to grant the two 5G licences was announced by two chief executive orders published in the Official Gazette (BO) yesterday.
The government launched a public tender for the granting of up to four 5G licences on June 30. However, the government had only received two bids before the tender’s submission deadline on August 12, by CTM and China Telecom (Macau). Both are among the city’s current four telecom operators that are running 4G services.
The government unsealed the two bids on August 15. Both bids were accepted.
The government said in August that it aimed to decide the bidding results by the end of this year. Yesterday’s announcement means that the two companies that submitted their respective bids have now been granted a 5G licence each.
According to the two chief executive orders, the two 5G licences will have a duration of eight years.
Both operators must start their respective 5G services covering at least 50 percent of the whole territory of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) within 12 months, while their 5G services must cover the MSAR’s whole territory within 18 months, according to the chief executive orders.
Each operator must pay a one-off licence fee of 100,000 patacas to the government. In addition, each operator must pay 5 percent of its gross receipts generated by its 5G service to the government every year.
CTM presser
During yesterday’s CTM press conference, which was held at its headquarters in Taipa following the government’s announcement, Ebel Cham Pou I, a CTM vice-president tasked with commercial affairs, said that the company has already prepared its different 5G service plans and various promotional offers. She did not announce details of the service plans such as their fees but said that the fees will be a “surprise” for customers.
Cham said that CTM expects to roll out its 5G service on Monday next week, after completing relevant procedures and other follow-up tasks with the government later this week.
According to Cham, potential customers can now carry out “pre-registration” to apply for a 5G service “through online or offline channels”. In addition, she said that 5G specialists and 5G experience zones have already been arranged at all CTM branches.
Thomas Ng (伍時耀), a CTM vice-president tasked with network services, said during yesterday’s press conference that the company had met its objective of achieving capability of having full indoor and outdoor 5G coverage in the city last year. He also said that the full coverage of a 5G network in Macau is an “advantage” compared to neighbouring regions.
Ng also said that the company’s latest tests show that its 5G speed is among the fastest in the world.
Senior CTM executives, including two of the company’s vice-presidents, Ebel Cham Pou I (second from left) and Thomas Ng (second from right), address yesterday’s press conference about the telecom operator’s upcoming 5G service. – Photo: CTM
