Simba faces possible fine, licence suspension over alleged unauthorised spectrum misuseSimba公司可能因涉嫌未经授权滥用频谱而面临罚款和吊销执照的处罚。
Simba Telecom could face a fine or suspension of its licence over alleged unauthorised spectrum use and other regulatory breaches, following an investigation by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).Spectrum bands are range of radio frequencies used to provide mobile services such as 4G and 5G, with specific bands assigned to operators for designated uses. In a filing to the...
Simba Telecom could face a fine or suspension of its licence over alleged unauthorised spectrum use and other regulatory breaches, following an investigation by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
Spectrum bands are range of radio frequencies used to provide mobile services such as 4G and 5G, with specific bands assigned to operators for designated uses.
In a filing to the Australian Securities Exchange on Monday (Oct 26), Simba's parent company Tuas said the telco had received a show-cause notice from IMDA over alleged spectrum misuse and governance deficiencies.
In a statement to AsiaOne on Monday, an IMDA spokesperson confirmed that Simba had been informed of the findings on Oct 23.
"As part of due process, IMDA had written to Simba to inform them of IMDA's investigation findings into Simba's use of unauthorised frequency spectrum," said the spokesperson.
Simba has until Nov 16 to respond.
According to Tuas' filing, IMDA alleged that Simba deployed dynamic spectrum-sharing technology at about 133 sites for intermittent periods in 2022 and 2023, allowing the 2,100 MHz band to be used for both 4G and 5G services, although the telco was authorised to use the band for 5G only.
The telco is also alleged to have used the 2,340 MHz to 2,360 MHz spectrum band without authorisation at about 92 sites for intermittent periods between 2023 and 2026.
IMDA further alleged that Simba's use of both spectrum bands was intentional and had been approved by its senior management.
Other allegations include the deployment of 5G indoor radio access network equipment at two locations in 2023 before IMDA granted authorisation for it on Nov 14 that year.
IMDA allocates and assigns spectrum frequencies to mobile operators for their dedicated use, and telcos are allowed to use only the spectrum frequency assigned to them.
The authority also alleged that Simba had failed to comply fully with a production order requiring it to provide documents, and that the failure was deliberate and intentional.
IMDA could impose a financial penalty of up to $1 million or 10 per cent of the annual turnover of the relevant part of Simba's business, whichever is higher, based on its latest audited accounts.
Other possible measures include suspending or cancelling Simba's spectrum rights or telecommunications licence, or shortening the licence period.
The authority could also impose additional regulatory requirements to address governance concerns and prevent similar conduct from recurring.
"As the matter remains under consideration by the regulator and no findings have been made or confirmed, Tuas does not intend to provide further comment on the matters raised in this announcement," the company said in its filing.
The investigation became public in May this year, when IMDA suspended its assessment of Simba's proposed $1.43 billion acquisition of M1's telecommunications business, citing concerns over the telco's alleged use of frequency bands not assigned to it.
The proposed acquisition subsequently fell through after Tuas announced on May 22 that it had terminated the sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of M1.
xingying.koh@asiaone.com
新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 的一项调查显示，Simba Telecom 可能因涉嫌未经授权使用频谱和其他违反监管规定而面临罚款或吊销执照的风险。
频谱频段是指用于提供 4G 和 5G 等移动服务的无线电频率范围，特定频段分配给运营商用于指定用途。
Simba 的母公司 Tuas 周一（10 月 26 日）向澳大利亚证券交易所提交的文件显示，该公司已收到 IMDA 发出的关于涉嫌滥用频谱和治理缺陷的责令说明通知。
周一，IMDA发言人在向AsiaOne发表的声明中证实，Simba已于10月23日被告知调查结果。
发言人表示：“作为正当程序的一部分，IMDA已致函Simba，告知其IMDA对Simba使用未经授权的频谱的调查结果。”
Simba 需要在 11 月 16 日前做出回应。
根据 Tuas 提交的文件，IMDA 指控 Simba 在 2022 年和 2023 年期间，在约 133 个站点间歇性地部署了动态频谱共享技术，允许将 2,100 MHz 频段同时用于 4G 和 5G 服务，尽管该电信公司仅被授权将该频段用于 5G。
据称，该电信公司在 2023 年至 2026 年期间，在约 92 个地点未经授权间歇性地使用了 2,340 MHz 至 2,360 MHz 的频谱频段。
IMDA进一步指控Simba故意使用这两个频谱频段，并已获得其高层管理人员的批准。
其他指控包括在 2023 年在两个地点部署 5G 室内无线接入网络设备，而 IMDA 直到当年 11 月 14 日才批准该设备部署。
新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 向移动运营商分配频谱频率供其专用，电信运营商只能使用分配给他们的频谱频率。
该机构还指控辛巴公司未能完全遵守要求其提供文件的生产令，并且这种不遵守是故意的。
根据 Simba 最新经审计的账目，新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局 (IMDA) 可对其处以最高 100 万美元或相关业务部门年营业额 10% 的罚款，以较高者为准。
其他可能的措施包括暂停或取消 Simba 的频谱使用权或电信许可证，或缩短许可证期限。
当局还可以施加额外的监管要求，以解决治理问题并防止类似行为再次发生。
“由于监管机构仍在审查此事，尚未作出任何调查结果或确认任何结论，大士集团不打算就本公告中提出的事项提供进一步评论，”该公司在提交的文件中表示。
今年 5 月，IMDA 暂停了对 Simba 拟以 14.3 亿美元收购 M1 电信业务的评估，调查由此公开。IMDA 表示，担心这家电信公司涉嫌使用未分配给它的频段。
随后，在 Tuas 于 5 月 22 日宣布终止收购 M1 的买卖协议后，拟议的收购最终告吹。
邢莹.koh@asiaone.com