The Malaysian government has controversially cancelled an upcoming tender for the country’s first wireless broadband license. According to local press reports three major companies were lining up bids for the franchise, which would have seen the winning company granted the right to offer services nationally on the 2.3GHz spectrum. The three interested parties were said to be Redtone International, NasionCom Holdings – which has already trialled WiMAX in capital Kuala Lumpur – and Malaysia’s smallest mobile operator DiGi.Com, which is 61% owned by Norway’s Telenor. Since DiGi failed to gain a 3G license, it was planning to spend $135m on a WiMAX alternative. Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik would only say that: “the tender has to be recalled because the…