A total of seven companies have lined up to participate in the sale process for 3.7GHz frequencies being carried out by the Czech Telecommunication Office (Cesky telekomunikacni urad, CTU). In a press release, the regulator confirmed that all four of the nation’s mobile network operators (MNOs) – Vodafone Czech Republic, T-Mobile Czech Republic, O2 Czech Republic and Nordic Telecom – had filed applications ahead of the deadline, while the other three companies seeking to take part were named as PODA, Suntel Net and Radio Spectrum CZ.
The CTU has said it will now evaluate all applications, following which it expects to confirm which candidates have made the cut for the sale process on 19 May. Those that are successful will be advised of exact dates for a trial auction in the first week of June, while the regulator has set a date of 13 June 2017 for the auction proper to get underway.
In total the CTU is offering five 40MHz blocks in the 3.7GHz band via auction, with established operators restricted to acquiring a single block, while new players will be able to purchase a total of 80MHz. A reserve price of CZK145 million (USD5.9 million) per block has been set, following an analysis of the prices achieved in auctions for similar frequencies in other European countries.