Russia’s State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF) is considering holding auctions for 5G spectrum licences in the millimetre wave (mmWave) 25.25GHz-27.5GHz range in Q1 2020, and will make a decision on the draft proposal in mid-October 2019, according to information supplied to Russian newspaper Izvestia by communications ministry representative Evgeny Novikov and two other unnamed federal/market sources.
According to the draft, eleven mmWave frequency lots will be up for auction, with licences valid for ten years. Licence coverage will be Federation-wide, although certain zones will be off-limits for 5G services, for instance five 5km zones in the Moscow region are reportedly being reserved for future Roscosmos satellite receiving stations. The report also notes that the methodology for calculating the cost of frequencies has yet to be established.
In related news, nationwide fixed network operator Rostelecom and state corporation Rostec have created a council to implement the agreement they signed in July with the federal government to create a ‘5G roadmap’ for the development of the technology in Russia. ComNews reported that 35 ‘preliminary targets’ of the roadmap will be submitted to the government by the end of September and the roadmap’s final draft will be submitted at the end of December.