The draft decrees and legislation were first approved by the federal government in January. Following discussions with the regions, extra research on the potential impact of a fourth mobile operator on the market was conducted. The previous government had considered reserving spectrum for a new player, to help boost competition, and the current government sought more information on the potential impact on prices, investment and employment in the sector.
The required legislation was approved by parliament in the summer and the updated decrees sent for public consultation and advice from the Council of State. After taking into account all the input, the government has now approved the terms of the auction in the royal decrees.
According to telecoms minister Petra De Sutter, the process is now in the final stages of completion. The spectrum previously reserved for a fourth mobile operator has been reduced in scope, and the auction takes a modular approach. As a result, B2B players like Citymesh can bid for just a portion of the licences, rather than committing to be a full mobile operator. This acknowledges concerns about the impact of a fourth operator while also opening up space for new competition, De Sutter said.
The text will go for a vote in the Coordinating Committee on 24 November, allowing the regional governments a final say in the process. De Sutter will then work with regulator BIPT on organising the auction planned for Q2 2022.
At the same time, the federal government approved another decree allowing the first-responders public radio network Astrid to consider a switch from Tetra technology to 5G.
