The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy (MEACP) has reached a long-awaited agreement in principle with satellite operator Inmarsat to move its international communications ground station in Burum, Netherlands, to Greece to implement the government’s plan to free up the 3.5GHz frequency band for national mobile usage, Nos.nl reports.
TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database says that the Netherlands’ national 5G 3.5GHz auction plans were derailed in June 2021 when Rotterdam District Court suspended an amendment to the National Frequency Plan via which the MEACP intended to free up the 3.5GHz band for 5G from September 2022, due to an appeal by Inmarsat. The judge’s decision noted that Inmarsat used the 3.5GHz band via a satellite ground station in Burum providing emergency/safety communications for shipping and aviation on behalf of the international community, and argued that the Ministry should have mapped out how emergency communications could be safeguarded, taking into account international treaties. The government subsequently set the target of making 5G 3.5GHz frequencies available via auction by 1 December 2023, recommending that Inmarsat relocates its services in the band to a location in Greece. The auction should make 1×300MHz of 3.5GHz frequencies available for nationwide mobile usage, although Inmarsat would be entitled to 1×80MHz until its Greek site is operational.