The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is expected to select by the end of this month a telecom carrier that can use a 900-megahertz (MHz) frequency spectrum for high-speed mobile phone communications. By Jan. 27, four telecom carriers — NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, SoftBank and eAccess — submitted applications and plans to receive the cellphone frequency, which is suitable for handling an increasing volume of data communications due to the spread of smartphones. Since the selection is not done through auction, the ministry should make public in detail the selection process to ensure transparency.
The four firms are eager to get the 900-MHz frequency spectrum, which is hardly affected by obstacles such as buildings and mountains and can reach remote locations without breaks.
Because of its high reliability, this frequency spectrum is called a "platinum band." In selecting a firm entitled to the frequency spectrum, the applications and plans submitted will be closely examined by the Radio Wave Management Commission.