The Swedish Government Offices has announced a decision made on 01 June to release sizeable portions of the 700 MHz band on 01 November 2017 from use for terrestrial television broadcasting, freeing them for use for mobile broadband. This will improve coverage and capacity for users in rural areas in particular, it said.
Digitisation Minister Peter Eriksson pointed out that between 2015 and 2016, mobile internet traffic surged by 35 percent, and some parts of the countryside still lack sufficient coverage. The 700 MHz is a backbone for the development of 5G technology, too, he added. The government's decision is adapted to the way that TV migration is planned, but will also take into account the requirements of civil order, security, medicine and defence.
The government said that its decision means that regulator PTS will be able to prepare an auction of 700 MHz airwaves.
