The second- and third-largest mobile operators in Singapore, StarHub and M1, agreed to submit a joint bid for a 5G licence, increasing their chances of winning one of two citywide permits on offer.

In a statement, the operators said they are working to meet a 17 February deadline for 5G proposals. Spectrum is expected to be awarded by the middle of the year.

StarHub held a 26 market share at end-Q4 2019, with M1 23 per cent, data from GSMA Intelligence showed.

Just two citywide 5G licences using standalone technology are being offered, which analysts say is the catalyst behind the cooperation.

Singaporean regulator the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) doubled the number of 5G licences it planned to offer in October 2019, calling for proposals to build two local networks focussed on enterprise services in addition to the two citywide networks.

The government will assign mmWave spectrum for the local networks, with each operator receiving 800MHz.

Spectrum for the city services is being issued through a regulatory procedure open to all operators.

In mid-January, IMDA pushed back the deadline for submitting 5G licence bids by nearly a month after operators asked for more time.