Austrian telecoms regulator RTR will hold a hearing of complaints by mobile operators following the auction for 4G spectrum, reports Reuters. The auction raised EUR 2 billion and was the most most expensive in Europe per head of population. RTR head Georg Serentschy told Reuters that it would hear complaints from the operators, but could not charge the results of the auction. The hearing date will either be on 04 or 11 November, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
All three operators - Telekom Austria, T-Mobile Austria and 3 Austria - complained about the auction process, which forced them to submit blind bids. T-Mobile Austria CEO Andreas Bierwirth described the process as 'extortion'. However, Serentschy defended the process, insisting that operators continued with their aggressive bidding even after they were made aware of the extend of demand in the 39th of 72 rounds.
