The Communications Authority (CA) announced today (10 December 2021) the creation of a new Localised Wireless Broadband System (Private) (LWBS (Private)) Licence for the establishment and maintenance of wireless broadband communications systems for private use only. An LWBS (Private) Licence holder will be administratively assigned up to 400 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band (24.25 - 27.5 GHz) and the 28 GHz band (27.5 - 28.35 GHz) on a geographically shared basis (Shared Spectrum) for setting up its own private wireless broadband system.
A spokesperson for the CA said, "The new LWBS (Private) Licence will enable individual entities to adopt the fifth generation (5G) or other advanced wireless technologies to meet their own operational needs, e.g. for the purposes of productivity improvement and business enhancement. The new licence is expected to promote further the adoption of 5G technologies and development of Internet connectivity for everything in various sectors, thereby unleashing their vast potential in the networked economy."
The spokesperson continued, "The newly created licence has a restricted scope of operation as compared to the existing Localised Wireless Broadband Service Licence, by limiting the system set up for self-use by the licensee only and the area of network coverage to 1 square kilometre. Provision of services to third parties is prohibited under the licence. It is thus subject to more light-handed regulation and a lower level of licence fee."
The validity period of the LWBS (Private) Licence is five years and may be extended at the discretion of the CA for a further period of up to five years. The annual licence fee for the LWBS (Private) Licence consists of a fixed fee of HK$10,000 and a variable fee based on the number of radio base stations installed.
The new licence is now open for application. Any party interested in establishing and maintaining a private localised wireless broadband system using the Shared Spectrum may submit its application to the CA. The licence application guidelines and form can be found on the CA’s website at https://www.coms-auth.hk/en/licensing/telecommunications/lwbs_private/index.html.
Communications Authority
Secretariat
10 December 2021