Telecoms regulator the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) has begun a consultation regarding a draft decision to extend 2G and 3G spectrum licences by a further six months, until 15 March 2022. The 900MHz, 1800MHz and 2100MHz permits held by Orange Belgium, Proximus and Telenet, which were originally due to expire on 15 March 2021, have already been extended to 15 September of this year to ensure continuity of services while the regulator organises a multiband spectrum auction. However, with the sale unlikely to be staged within that timeframe, the regulator now plans to extend the licences for another six months, until 15 March 2022.
The operators are liable for a one-off fee of EUR51,644 (USD61,632) per MHz per month for the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands and EUR20,833 per MHz per month for the 2100MHz band, payable by 1 October 2021. This means Proximus will pay around EUR11.4 million per month, Orange EUR10.9 million and Telenet EUR8.4 million.