Lithuania’s regulator RRT will allow operators to offer 5G services using their existing spectrum holdings.
While the regulator has auctions of 5G spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.5GHz bands within the next six months, the body’s deputy CEO Augutis Cesna told local outlet BNS that it would relax the restrictions about which bands could be used for 5G deployments in the interests of facilitating them.
“It has been written before that [operators] only have to do this using certain bands that will be auctioned. The operator will now be able to do so using not only the frequencies currently auctioned, but also those already available. It will be easier. They have a lot of frequencies and will decide for themselves which frequencies to use”, said Cesna.
CommsUpdate reports that Lithuania’s impending 700MHz auction will see one 2×10MHz block and two 2×5MHz blocks made available for the respective reserve price of EUR5 million and EUR3 million (USD5.8 million and USD3.5 million). Participants are limited to bidding for one block, with licences valid for 20 years.
Within six months of obtaining their spectrum, winning bidders are obliged to launch a 5G offering in at least one of Lithuania’s five biggest cities (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai and Panevezys). This must be extended to all five by the end of 2023.