Simba at risk of losing operating licence over spectrum misuse

[SINGAPORE] Simba’s parent Tuas Ltd announced on Monday (Oct 26) that the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) has issued a notice to show cause over its misuse of telecommunications spectrum.

The notice was sent to Simba on Friday, said Tuas, and confirms that IMDA has not reached a conclusion on whether action should be taken against the telco.

Simba has been requested to respond to the following allegations:

• That it deployed dynamic spectrum sharing to about 133 sites for intermittent periods between 2022 and 2023 to allow 2,100 megahertz (MHz) band spectrum for 4G and 5G coverage, when the telco was only authorised to use the spectrum band for 5G.
• That the 2,340 to 2,360 MHz band was used at about 92 sites for intermittent periods between 2023 and 2026 when Simba did not have authorisation to do so.
• That the deployment of dynamic spectrum sharing on the 2,100 MHz band and use of 2,340 to 2,360 MHz spectrum was intentional and approved by Simba’s senior management.
• That the telco deployed 5G indoor radio access network equipment at two locations in 2023 prior to IMDA’s authorisation on Nov 14, 2023.
• That Simba did not comply fully with IMDA’s production order, and that the failure to produce documents was deliberate and intentional.
• That IMDA has concerns over deficiencies in Simba’s governance and compliance culture which the regulator considers should require further regulatory obligations in the telco’s licence to address.

IMDA has identified a number of regulatory actions, and has asked Simba to make representation on why these actions should not be taken.

These actions include suspending or cancelling the grant of spectrum right, reducing Simba’s licence period, and a fine of either 10 per cent of Simba’s annual turnover or S$1 million, whichever is higher.

IMDA is also considering intervening and imposing regulatory obligations to address governance deficiencies and prevent similar conduct from recurring.

Simba said that it intends to respond to the show cause notice, which has a deadline of Nov 16.

“As the matter remains under consideration by the regulator and no findings have been made or confirmed, Tuas does not intend to provide further comment on the matters raised in this announcement,” said the company.

Past incidents

Tuas admitted that it used spectrum outside of its limitations in an earnings call in September 2026. Management attributed the misuse to a combination of hardware and software issues without elaborating further.

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This came after the regulator announced that it halted its assessment of the proposed merger of Simba and M1 back in May 2026 to investigate the spectrum misuse. Tuas had proposed a S$1.4 billion deal for M1 in August 2025.

Tuas and M1 parent Keppel terminated the deal shortly after IMDA halted its assessment of the merger.

Keppel returned to talks with StarHub for a potential deal involving M1 in September 2026, citing a need for consolidation in Singapore’s telco space. StarHub and M1 were reported to have been in talks over a potential merger in 2024, prior to Simba’s offer.