Hong Kong carrier City Telecom (CTI) has abandoned its bid for Singapore’s next-generation broadband network.

In a short statement issued Wednesday, the Hong Kong telco said it was leaving the Infinity Consortium it had formed with StarHub and M1 four months ago.

StarHub will take over the role of leader of the consortium, which is now joined by the Qatar Investment Authority.

Bids for the multi-billion dollar tender were submitted in May. The tender will be awarded by the end of September.

Infinity is the only group to challenge incumbent SingTel for the right to build the city’s next-gen FTTH network, for which the government has promised to contribute S$750 million ($532 million).

SingTel has partnered with local press monopoly Singapore Press and Canada’s Axia NetMedia in the OpenNet group.

Source:telecomasia.net