Once it has received the advisory committee’s decision, Arcep plans to adopt its final proposal in early July, so that a call for applications can be issued later in the month. Candidates will have until the end of September to file their applications, with the auction planned for the fourth quarter and licence awards before the end of the year.
The multiple round ascending auction will begin with a reserve price, set by ministers, of EUR 416 million for each of six blocks of 2x5 MHz, with the unit price rising by EUR 5 million after each round. No single operator can acquire more than three blocks and cannot exceed a limit of 2x30 MHz of low frequency spectrum (700, 800 and 900 MHz combined).
Arcep writes that regional coverage obligations are as strong as those attached to the 800 MHz band. New obligations include improving mobile data availability on commuter train lines. They will be completed by a more detailed QoS audit for all railway lines and underground lines.
