The Korean Communications Commissions has denied the applications of two companies that had been vying to receive the nation's fourth mobile license.
Internet Space Time (IST) and Korea Mobile Internet (KMI) have both failed to receive a high enough score in the screening process to convince the regulator to hand them a license to operate WiBro services, Korea Herald reported.
KMI has now tried and failed three times to secure the required approval to operate a network using the WiBro standard, a homegrown variant of Wimax.
According to the Herald, KCC is yet to be convinced about KMI's business model or its shareholder structure.
As for IST, its application was reportedly rejected due to the decision of proposed key investor Hyandai Group to withdraw its support for the project.
KCC had been seeking to allocate a fourth mobile license, in a bid to drive prices down by stimulating competition into the sector.
Operators including Korea Telecom earlier this year reduced their base rates due to the pressure from regulators to reduce prices for consumers.