Liberty Wireless alleges M1 wrongfully refused to enter into good faith negotiations
Circles.Life’s parent company, Liberty Wireless, has filed a lawsuit against M1 over a dispute arising from their virtual mobile telco arrangement. The move comes amid the ongoing sale of M1 to Simba Telecom.
In a filing on the Singapore Exchange on Oct 13, Keppel, which owns M1, said Liberty Wireless has commenced a High Court action against M1 over a contract dated May 22, 2019.
Liberty Wireless alleged that M1 wrongfully refused to enter into good faith negotiations to amend or vary the contract “to the extent reasonably necessary or appropriate” following the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) introduction of the Framework for the Wholesale of Mobile Services in Jan 2020.
It is seeking a court declaration obliging M1 to negotiate within 14 days. The company also claimed the 2019 contract may contain an “error and/or mistake” and, if necessary, intends to seek rectification of the agreement. However, no details about the alleged error were disclosed.
In the Singapore Exchange filing, Keppel said: “M1 has instructed counsel and does not find the allegations meritorious, and intends to vigorously defend its position at the appropriate forum.”
Keppel also added that the outcome of the legal proceedings is not expected to affect or delay the completion of its proposed sale of M1’s telco business to Simba Telecom. The sale, announced on Aug 11 at an enterprise value of S$1.43 billion, is currently pending approval from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
In their submissions to IMDA, both Simba and M1 committed to maintaining current prices for existing mobile subscribers for at least two years after the proposed consolidation is completed.
M1 also undertook to honour all existing commitments and contracts, meaning current subscribers of its mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) will not be affected. Circles.Life is one such MVNO.
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Featured Image Credit: Keppel
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Last modified: October 13, 2025
About the Author: Eric L.
