The Hong Kong communications regulator is reportedly planning to auction a new 3G licence for the country.

The four existing 3G operators are expected to be able to bid for the cdma2000 standard 3G license, although all four operate WCDMA networks.

The existing licensees are SmarTone, Hutchison Telecommunications International Holdings, CSL New World Mobility, Telstra and PCCW/Sunday.

The spectrum itself is probably the same that belonged to local operators Hutchison and CSL, which respectively operated CDMA and TDMA networks. Their licenses were not renewed when they expired as the assigned spectrum “had not been used efficiently,” the regulator said.