Belgium raises EUR 360 mln in 800 MHz auction

Nieuws Mobiel België 12 NOV 2013
Belgium raises EUR 360 mln in 800 MHz auction
The Belgian auction of frequencies in the 800 MHz band has finished, raising a total EUR 360 million, the telecom regulator BIPT announced. The auction lasted just one day, with each of the three network operators - Base, Proximus and Mobistar - acquiring a lot of 2x10MHz for the reserve price of EUR 120 million. The licences are valid for 20 years and will be used by the operators to expand LTE services. 

The frequencies won by Mobistar have an additional coverage obligation. Within three years of receiving the licence it must cover at least 98 percent of the population in municipalities where 3G coverage is currently not sufficient. 

In Belgium, Proximus was the first to launch LTE services earlier this year, followed by Base last month. The operators use frequencies in the 1.8 and 2.6 GHz bands. Mobistar is expected to launch 4G services before the end of this year. 

Categories:

Mobiel

Companies:

Orange (Mobistar),  Proximus,  BIPT,  Base

Countries:

België

Tags:

Government telecommunications licensing, 4G - LTE

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