Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Jarelevalve Amet, TTJA) has invited applications for its latest 5G auction. Following on from sales in the 3.5GHz and 700MHz bands last year, the regulator is looking to offer licences in the 26GHz band (24.7GHz-27.1GHz) which it says are suited for improving connectivity in densely populated areas. Mobile incumbents Telia, Elisa and Tele2 all picked up concessions in the previous two auctions and have gone on to launch commercial 5G networks.
Applications for the auction are invited by 13 April. Six 400MHz blocks of spectrum will be available, with a starting price of EUR800,000 per block. Bidding is expected to start in May, with licences awarded by the end of that month.
TTJA General Director Kristi Talving commented: ‘The first two successfully conducted 5G frequency band auctions confirmed that communication companies are very interested in developing a communication network based on fifth generation technology. Thanks to this, we expect active participation in the third competition as well, so that the benefits of 5G development reach Estonian people and entrepreneurs as soon as possible. With the new competition, permits will be issued in a frequency range whose high-speed data connections create good opportunities for the development of real-time services, and it is also a pioneer for, for example, self-driving cars.’
Source: https://www.commsupdate.com/articles/2023/03/01/estonia-kicks-off-26ghz-5g-auction-process/