The Authority of Electronic and Postal Communications (AKEP) of Albania has approved the abolition of restrictions governing the use of 900MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100MHz spectrum by the country’s cellcos. Going forward, the watchdog notes that operators will be free to utilise their respective spectrum allowances as they see fit, and can deploy systems based on 2G GSM, 3G UMTS, 4G LTE and WiMAX platforms. The decision formed part of an amendment to the National Plan for Broadband Development, the regulator says.
TeleGeography notes that Telekom Albania and Vodafone both launched commercial LTE networks in July this year, using the 2600MHz band. However, a flurry of recent licensing activity has prompted the regulator to open up other bands for 4G use.
1800MHz licences were awarded to Albtelecom, Telekom (formerly AMC) and Vodafone on 20 March 2015, while 11 May saw all four cellcos (including Plus Mobile) issued with 2×5MHz blocks in the 900MHz band. Meanwhile, Vodafone and Telekom also secured 2600MHz spectrum on 11 May, while the distribution of paired spectrum in the 1900MHz/2100MHz band was subsequently authorised on 22 June, with Albtelecom and Telekom scooping the frequencies.