As the use of high-speed, large-capacity communication standard 5G increases, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is considering whether to allocate mobile phone frequencies to mobile companies by auction method.
Meetings were held to hear opinions from major mobile phone companies, and opinions against the auction method continued.
The auction method, which allocates the frequency of mobile phones to the operator who offered the highest price in competitive bidding, has been widely adopted overseas, and the pros and cons of introducing it in Japan are also being considered.
At the meeting of experts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications held on the 30th, the top executives of two major mobile phone companies attended and expressed their opinions on the pros and cons of introducing the auction method.
Of these, Softbank President Junichi Miyagawa opposes that "the auction method raises the bid price and hinders the capital investment of businesses," and supports the current method in which the government comprehensively evaluates and allocates frequencies. I showed my thoughts.
In addition, Rakuten Mobile President Yoshihisa Yamada strongly opposed, saying that "oligopoly by businesses with large financial resources will progress."
On the other hand, at the last meeting held on November 16, NTT DoCoMo expressed its opinion in favor of the auction method, and the pros and cons are divided among the major mobile phone companies.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided to formulate a policy by next summer after considering the opinions given by each company and overseas cases.