Celcom Axiata, Maxis and Digi today (14 February) each paid the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) MYR11.8 million ($2.8 million) to secure 10MHz of paired spectrum in the 2.6GHz band.

The assignment is valid for five years starting on 1 July and requires an annual fee of MYR20.8 million, with the first due by 15 December.

In a stock market filing, Axiata Group explained subsidiary Celcom accepted the MCMC’s offer for the spectrum.

Maxis and Digi each issued similar statements.

In December 2021, the MCMC announced plans to release spectrum in the band at a fixed price.

Celcom currently holds 30MHz in the 2.6GHz band, while Digi and Maxi each has 10MHz.

MCMC identified 700MHz, 3.5MHz, and 26GHz and 28GHz spectrum as the initial bands for the country’ 5G rollout.