WiMAX operators fined for failure to reach the coverage target of 25% the population by March of 2009 stipulated by their concessions.
Three of Malaysia's WiMAX operators have been hit with fines relating to failures in rolling out their networks on time, the Star Online reports.
Tan Sri Francis Yeoh, head of the YTL Group, which owns Y-Max, saying: ‘We believe in having an extensive network up and running as we don’t see the point in having incremental coverage. We take this business seriously. We will have 60% coverage (more than the needed 40%) by the next deadline.’ Additionally, unnamed sources at one of the operators claimed that the delays in achieving the coverage target stemmed from a number of issues including long waits for approval to install the base stations. REDtone meanwhile blamed technical issues with its spectrum allocation for its delays. According to reports, the country’s telecoms watchdog, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), advised REDtone, Asiaspace, and Y-Max Networks that they had failed to reach the 25% population coverage stipulated by their concessions by March 2009. The three operators all face differing levels of financial penalty, with Y-Max looking at an MYR1.9 million (USD559,000) penalty, while Asiaspace and REDtone will be required to pay MYR1.7 million and MYR200,000 respectively.
We promise to provide you coverage just look at our maps. Where have we heard this story before? I guess its much easier to audit coverage in a smaller country like Malaysia than the U.S. Good to see some accountability coming to the telecom industry which notoriously over-promises and under-delivers. If the FCC wanted to enforce rules it also could become a profit center of fines itself. All they have to do is levy a fine against the carriers for over-promising coverage and the Deadcellzones.com community of users can assist in the audit.
