Primus mulling wireless spectrum bid

Alternative fixed line and broadband operator Primus Telecom (Australia) may seek to enter the wireless sector should the federal government auction off suitable spectrum, The Australian reports, citing comments from the telco’s CEO, Ravi Bhatia. According to the executive the state’s possible auctions of 2.5GHz frequencies and spectrum in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, the latter of which will be freed up as part of the switch off of analogue television signals, would prove an attractive proposition which could see Primus request permission from its parent company, US-based Primus Telecommunications. Commenting on the prospect of acquiring wireless spectrum Bhatia noted: ‘I’d personally very much like to, but let’s see when it’s released whether we can, of course, prepare internal business cases and get approvals from the board and move forward. I’m talking in conceptual terms, not in business terms. No commercial decisions have been made. What I’m telling you as a telco professional is that it would be very attractive to bid for spectrum to be in the wireless game.’ Primus already offers wireless voice services, as the telco has a reseller agreement with Optus under which it offers the cellco’s 3G services rebranded under the ‘Speedster’ banner.