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Germany begins auction of 4G frequencies
12 April 2010
The German regulator has started to auction frequencies for 4G services
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4G
Germany
Deutsche Telekom
Vodafone
KPN
E-Plus
Telefónica O2
Bundesnetzagentur
Germany is auctioning spectrum to build 4G networks. The auction, which takes place in Mainz, comes 10 years after the auction for 3G network licences. Minimum bids of €1.5 million are expected for a 5 megahertz block.
The sale, which starts today, consists of 360 megahertz of available spectrum in four different bands divided into 41 spectrum blocks. The spectrum in the 800 megahertz and 2.6 gigahertz bands is expected to be the most attractive as it slated to be the standard for 4G.
The auction is being conducted by the German network regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, headed by Matthias Kurth.
A large part of the spectrum sale consists of “digital dividend”, a block of frequencies left unwanted by television companies following their shift from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Four companies, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, KPN’s E-Plus and Telefónica O2, will be able to bid for spectrum in the 800 megahertz and 1.8, 2.0 and 2.6 gigahertz bands. GTB