• info@kaizencpa.com
  • Our Office: USA - Hong Kong - Shenzhen - Shanghai - Beijing - Taiwan - Singapore - Japan - UK

+852 2341 1444(Hong Kong)
+86 755 8268 4483(Shenzhen)
+65 6438 0116(Singapore)

Search for anything.

Knowledge

  • Home
  • Knowledge
  • Introduction to Telecommunication Licences in Singapore

Introduction to Telecommunication Licences in Singapore

2023-09-20
Persons who want to operate telecommunications systems and provide telecommunication services are required to be licensed by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). In general, such licensees must be a company incorporated under the Singapore Companies Act, Chapter 50. IMDA adopts a licensing approach which differentiates between Facilities-Based Operations (FBO) Licence and Services-Based Operations (SBO) Licence type of operations.  The following provides an overview.

1.
 Services-Based Operations (SBO) Licence

The Services-Based Operations (SBO) Licence allows an operator to provide services-based telecommunications services in Singapore.

For operators who intend to:

  • Lease telecommunication network elements (such as transmission capacity and switching services) from any IMDA-licensed Facilities-Based Operator (FBO) to provide their own telecommunication services.
  • Resell telecommunication services of FBOs to third parties; or
  • Deploy telecommunication network, systems and facilities within their own property boundaries, but wish to offer telecommunication services to third party residents within their property boundaries

Depending on the scope of the operation and nature of the service, a telecommunication service-based operator can be licensed under one of two categories:

(1)
 SBO (Individual) Licence



  • Operators who lease international transmission capacity to provide their services would be licensed individually.  
  • These would be companies incorporated or foreign companies registered under the Singapore Companies Act, Cap. 50.
  • (SBO (individual) licensees who collect monetary deposits and/or issue prepaid cards for collection of payments from their customers are required to have a paid-up capital of at least SGD100,000 at the point of licensing.

The range of operations and services that requires individual licensing under the SBO (Individual) Licence category include, but is not limited to, the following:

  • International simple resale (ISR)
  • Resale of leased circuit services
  • Public internet-access services
  • Internet-exchange services
  • Virtual private-network services
  • Managed-data network services
  • Store-and-Forward (S&F) Value-Added Network Services
  • Mobile virtual-network operation
  • Bandwidth capacity exchange operation
  • Backhaul Bandwidth capacity services
  • (Live audiotex services
  • Prepaid services for other telecommunication services such as:
  • Call-back/call re-origination services
    (ii) Internet-based voice and data services
    (iii) Store-and-retrieve (S&R) value-added network services
    (iv) International calling card (ICC) services
    (v) Resale of public switched telecommunication services
  • Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) Services

Licence Fees and Duration

Applicants for the SBO (Individual) Licences will be required to pay the fees as stipulated in the table below:

Licences

Registration fee

Services-Based Operators to be Individually Licensed

SBO (Individual)

Initial fee: None

Annual fee: S$5,000

Live Audiotex services only

S$200 every three-yearly



(2) SBO (Class) Licence



  • A range of telecommunication service-based operations and services fall under this category.
  • These may be companies incorporated or foreign companies registered under the Singapore Companies Act, Cap. 50. including Limited Liability Partnerships or Limited Partnerships.
  • SBO (class) licensees shall not collect monetary deposits and/or use prepaid cards as a means of collecting payment from their customers

The range of operations and services that falls under the SBO (Class) Licence category includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Call-back/call re-origination services
  • Internet-based voice and data services
  • Resale of public switched telecommunication services
  • Store-and-retrieve (S&R) value-added network services
  • International calling card (ICC) services
  • Audiotex services
  • Public Chain Payphone Services

Licence Fees and Duration

Applicants for the SBO (Class) Licences will be required to pay the fees as stipulated in the table below:

Licences

Registration fee

Services-Based Operators to be Class Licensed

Audiotex services

S$200 every three-yearly

Call-back and call-origination services

S$200 every three-yearly

Internet based voice and data services

S$200 every three-yearly

International calling card services

S$200 every three-yearly

Store-and-retrieve value-added network services (where leased circuits are used)

S$200 every three-yearly

Store-and-retrieve value added network services (where no leased circuits are used)

No fee payable

Resale of public switched telecommunication services

No fee payable

Public Chain Payphone Service

No fee payable


2.
 		Facilities-Based Operator (FBO) Licence

FBOs are operators intending to deploy any form of telecommunication network, systems and facilities to offer telecommunication switching and/or telecommunication services to other licensed telecommunication operators, business and/or consumers.

The range of telecommunication services to be provided over the licensees’ facilities may include the following:
(1) Public Switched Telephone Services
(2) Public Switched Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Services
(3) Leased Circuit Services
(4) Public Radiocommunication Services
(5) Public Cellular Mobile Telephone Service (PCMTS)
(6) Public Trunked Radio Services (PTRS)
(7) Public Mobile Data Services (PMDS)
(8) Terrestrial Telecommunication Network for Broadcasting Purposes
(9) Satellite Uplink/Downlink for Broadcasting Purposes
Kaizen suggests you to consult with professional advisors before the proposals coming into effect. Kaizen Singapore office is able to provide clients with the IMDA licence application and consultancy services, please consult our professional consultant.

Disclaimer

All information in this article is only for the purpose of information sharing, instead of professional suggestion. Kaizen will not assume any responsibility for loss or damage.

WhatsApp/Line/Wechat: +852 5616 4140

Related Posts

Guide to Singapore Limited Liability Partnership

A Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is a vehicle for doing business in Singapore. An LLP gives owners the flexibility of operating as a partnership while having a separate legal identity like a private limited company.This means that the LLP is seen as a body corporate and has a legal personality separate from its partners. The LLP has perpetual succession, which means any change in the partners of an LLP will not affect its existence, rights or liabilities.

Guidelines for Singapore Pet Cat License

Pursuant to the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a division of the National Parks Board (NParks), which announced the finalized Cat Management Framework on 11 May 2024, all pet owners must apply for a new cat licence from AVS and implanted with a microchip. Microchips provide the best form of permanent identification for your pet, utilizing a tiny transponder the size of a grain of rice

Guidelines for Registration of Singapore Local Online Veterinary Dispensaries

Online veterinary dispensaries (e-vet dispensaries) refer to any electronic means of providing dispensary services for health products intended for use in animals, which include, but are not limited to, the following: Allowing consumers to purchase or submit purchase orders for health products intended for use in animals;

Choosing a Singapore Company Name

Choosing the right company name is important. The name of your company will define its image, and will also be what your customers identify your business and company with. Marketing considerations aside, you also have to ensure that your chosen company name will be approved for registration by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore (“ACRA”) in the first place.