The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has launched an investigation into possible collusion between Magyar Telekom and Telenor Hungary in the spectrum auction in 2014. The regulator visited the headquarters of the companies to collect information on 24 January. Telenor and Magyar Telekom told local media that they did not violate any laws.
The GVH suspects the two of coordinating prior to the auction, in order to harmonise their bids and divide up the spectrum lots. This would constitute a violation of competition law.
The investigation may take up to six months, and the regulator can extend this twice as needed.
Hungary auctioned in 2014 spectrum in the 800, 900, 1,800 and 2,600 MHz frequency bands. The tender opened the way for the launch of a fourth mobile operator, Digi.
Telenor and Magyar Telekom each acquired two lots in the 800 MHz band and one in the 2.6 GHz band, while Magyar Telekom also bought frequencies in the 1,800 MHz band. A few months after the auction, Telenor and Telekom announced an agreement to pool their resources in the 800 MHz band to develop a shared 4G network.
