Scuttled M1-Simba deal leaves investors with more questions than answers
[SINGAPORE] After months of anticipation and a heated public consultation, it appears the S$1.4 billion deal for Simba Telecom to buy the telecommunications business of M1 from asset manager Keppel is off the table.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) threw a spanner into the works on Monday (May 18), as it abruptly announced the suspension of its evaluation of the M1-Simba consolidation application.
IMDA said it learnt during the review that Simba could have been using radio frequency bands that had not been assigned to it to provide mobile services. This would constitute unauthorised use of frequency spectrum, which is a breach of the Telecommunications Act.